Daniel Peters, the CDU leader in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has called for the resignation of Jens Spahn, the head of the CDU parliamentary group (Union), during the ongoing debate regarding surrogacy. Speaking to the “Bild-Zeitung” for its Saturday edition, Peters stated, “The CDU stands for credibility and clarity, especially in ethically sensitive questions. Jens Spahn is no longer tenable as the chairman of the Union faction and must resign.”
In substantiating this demand, Peters argued that Spahn has a special role model function within the Union as its faction leader. He claimed that by utilizing surrogacy in the United States, Spahn has completely overridden current German law. Furthermore, Peters noted that Spahn appears to believe he can act as a private citizen differently from how he votes as a mandated CDU representative, a concept Peters strongly rejects.
Spahn and his husband, Daniel Funke, recently announced that they have welcomed a child. The child was born through a surrogate in the United States. This has triggered a controversial debate because surrogacy is currently not permitted in Germany, and the CDU has maintained a clear stance against its legalization-a stance Spahn himself previously supported.
For instance, when serving as Health Minister in 2020, Spahn rejected the revocation of the ban on surrogacy (under the Embryo Protection Act). However, earlier this year, the federal CDU party conference, following a motion from the Women’s Union, decided to maintain the ban on surrogacy in Germany, even in altruistic models, in order to prevent exploitation, abuse, and health risks.
