Spahn's Resignation Ignites Debate Over Surrogacy in Germany

The commission presented its final report in April 2024. In it, it recommends, among other things, that the legislature could permit surrogacy in certain cases "sofern insbesondere der Schutz der Leihmutter und das Kindeswohl hinreichend gewährleistet werden". For a narrowly defined allowance of altruistic, that is, uncompensated surrogacy, the commission names strict requirements such as a close familial or friendship relationship between the intended parents and the surrogate.

Voices from Politics and Academia

Helmut Frister, chairman of the German Ethics Council, criticized a double standard in society in connection with the case. He said: "Und es ist ein bisschen so, dass die gesamte Gesellschaft da das Problem ins Ausland verlagert." In Germany, both surrogacy and egg donation are prohibited; however, going abroad for these services is largely tolerated.

Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, a legal scholar at the University of Potsdam, expressed regret that Spahn had not reopened the debate on surrogacy himself after his resignation. "Damit könnte er vielen Menschen die Möglichkeit bieten, die er im Ausland hatte," she said.

Karin Prien, deputy CDU chair and federal minister for family affairs, assumes that the CDU will not change its position on surrogacy in the short term. At a party conference in February, the Union reaffirmed the ban on both commercial and altruistic surrogacy; Spahn had supported this resolution. At the same time, Prien expressed understanding for couples who, for medical reasons, cannot carry their own children. "Das ist ein ganz furchtbares Schicksal, mit dem man sich abfinden können muss," she said.

Party Positions

Spahn himself had spoken out against surrogacy in the past. The case raises the question of how this contradiction should be assessed. Prien said Spahn had taken a risk and could end up losing, "dass er eben auch verlieren kann an der Stelle und sich am Ende für seine Familie entscheiden muss, das wird er kalkuliert haben".

The Left party pointed to the risks of exploitation of surrogates. The SPD has not yet completed its opinion-forming process on surrogacy. In Germany, surrogacy is prohibited by the Embryo Protection Act, which fell within Spahn's area of responsibility during his tenure as federal health minister from 2018 to 2021.

However, Prien signaled openness to a review of the Embryo Protection Act and possibly of adoption law in individual points. The Tagesspiegel community assessed Spahn's resignation as long overdue. An editorial selection of comments from the community documents the range of reactions.

Reactions from Readers

Users of the Tagesspiegel formulated sometimes sharp criticism. Carolina2 wrote: "Ich denke sogar, er hätte diese Position als Fraktionschef schon aufgeben müssen, als er entschieden hat, die Dienste einer Leihmutter in Anspruch zu nehmen." Marco.berlin criticized: "Und zack, sich gleich wieder zum Opfer machen." ChristianeL noted: "dass es richtig ist, sich differenzierter mit dem Thema Leihmutterschaft auseinanderzusetzen, als es bisher in Deutschland erfolgt ist, wird dabei ebenfalls deutlich."

Other commenters emphasized that a change of opinion is not an offense, but criticized the contradiction between Spahn's public position and his private actions. Bouillon01 formulated: "Jens Spahn hat mit seinem Verhalten aufgezeigt, dass Reproduktionsmedizin eine Klassenfrage ist, also Bio-Politik im Foucaultschen Sinne."

Overall, the debate makes clear that opinions on surrogacy in Germany are also divided among the public. While some voices call for more differentiation, the Union and a portion of the commentators hold firm to the existing ban.

The article was written by Atila Altun and Antonia Böker. The reporting is based on 3 sources, including reports from the Tagesspiegel.