Jens Spahn has resigned from his post as the head of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group. In a letter sent to his group members on Saturday, Spahn informed the party leaders of both the CDU and CSU, Friedrich Merz and Markus Söder, of his decision.
Spahn cited the increasing difficulty of balancing his personal life-specifically, his private decision to have a child through surrogacy-with the “understandable expectations” placed upon him as the chair of their parliamentary faction. He noted that this “balancing act” had become more challenging than he had initially expected.
He also mentioned that the “increasing severity” of public debates had made him “very contemplative.” Addressing his colleagues, the CDU politician urged them to maintain a human tone throughout all discussions, stating that this quality distinguishes them as a Christian-democratic central party. Ultimately, Spahn concluded that what had become increasingly clear to him in recent days was that “Family is most important to me.”
His decision comes after the announcement of his fatherhood sparked a public debate about his person. It emerged that he and his partner had used a surrogate mother abroad, despite Spahn previously campaigning in Germany to continue opposing the use of the surrogacy model.
