German health minister Jens Spahn resigns over surrogacy controversy

German Health Minister Jens Spahn has come under public scrutiny after it emerged that he used a surrogate mother to have a child, a practice he previously endorsed banning in Germany. The revelation was reported by several media outlets following a statement from the mother’s legal representative, who confirmed that the child was born in early 2024 through a surrogacy arrangement in the United States. Spahn, who served as the country’s health minister from 2018 to 2023 and has been a prominent advocate for tightening Germany’s surrogacy laws, had supported legislation that would prohibit commercial surrogacy arrangements and restrict altruistic surrogacy to specific circumstances.

Critics from opposition parties and advocacy groups have highlighted the apparent inconsistency between Spahn’s personal actions and his earlier policy positions, calling for a review of his conduct and the broader legal framework governing surrogacy. Spahn’s office responded that the decision was a private family matter and that the surrogate arrangement complied with the laws of the jurisdiction where it took place. The controversy adds pressure on the German parliament, which is currently debating a draft bill to formalize a ban on commercial surrogacy, and may influence public debate on the ethical and legal dimensions of assisted reproduction in the country.