German conservative politician Jens Spahn has resigned as parliamentary leader of the country’s governing coalition after facing intense criticism over becoming a father through surrogacy in the United States, despite years of publicly supporting Germany‘s ban on the practice.

Spahn, a senior member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and former health minister, announced his resignation on Saturday (18 July), writing that he had realised that “my personal happiness – founding a family together with my husband and becoming a father – is not compatible with my political office”.

He added that the growing tension between his personal decision and the expectations placed on him as a member of the CDU/Christian Social Union parliamentary group had become “greater than I anticipated,” and said the increasingly hostile public debate had given him “deep pause for thought.”

The controversy erupted earlier this week after Spahn confirmed that he and his husband had welcomed a baby boy through a surrogate in the US, as reported by the BBC.

While surrogacy is illegal in Germany, carrying a punishment of up to three years in prison or a fine, Germans are permitted to pursue the practice abroad in countries where it is legal.

Critics accused Spahn of hypocrisy, citing his prior support for Germany’s ban. As health minister, he rejected calls in 2020 to relax the law, and in 2015 wrote that “as a gay man and a Christian I find it personally very hard to warm to the idea of a rented womb”.

The backlash came from across Germany’s political spectrum, including within Spahn’s own party. Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who leads the CDU, said Spahn’s resignation was “right” and “inevitable”, adding that “credibility is the highest asset in politics”.

The CDU had reaffirmed its support for Germany’s ban on surrogacy as recently as February, making Spahn’s decision to build his family abroad particularly contentious.