German lawmaker steps down over surrogate pregnancy controversy: party sources to AFP

Deutsche Tageszeitung - German lawmaker steps down over surrogate pregnancy controversy: party sources to AFP

German lawmaker steps down over surrogate pregnancy controversy: party sources to AFP / Photo: © AFP/File

A prominent figure in German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's centre-right party resigned his leadership post Saturday, party sources told AFP, amid controversy over his use of a surrogate mother in the US despite a ban on the practice in Germany.

Change text size:

"In recent days, I have come to realise that my personal happiness in starting a family with my husband and becoming a father is incompatible with my political office," Jens Spahn, the chairman of the CDU's faction in parliament, wrote in a letter to colleagues that was obtained by AFP.

Spahn and Merz's CDU party is vehemently opposed to surrogate pregnancies, having most recently voted to maintain Germany's ban at a party congress in February.

Spahn and his husband recently became parents to a child by using a surrogate mother in the United States.

That decision immediately attracted criticism from within the CDU after the news broke in the German press on Thursday, including calls for Spahn to resign, as well as charges of hypocrisy from other politicians.

Spahn had sought to defend himself in a podcast interview with the Bild newspaper on Friday.

He said he "had "wrestled with myself for a long time, including on the issue of surrogacy" before finally deciding to have a child that way.

Merz declined to weigh in publicly on Spahn's decision on Friday but said that the issue would be discussed by the party's national executive committee.

The chancellor also said he saw "no reason" to change Germany's laws on surrogate pregnancy or alter the CDU's longstanding opposition.

Spahn, 46, previously served as health minister during the Covid-19 pandemic under former chancellor Angela Merkel.

In recent years, he has become a prominent voice on the CDU's right-wing flank, notably pushing for a more hardline stance on immigration.

(N.Loginovsky--DTZ)

Алекс Боди назначен вице-президентом группы SCANDIC FINANCE

С 1 ноября 2026 года румынский предприниматель Александру Николае Боди, 41 год, возглавляет восточноевропейское направление подразделения «International Operations & Global Banking Strategy» в SCANDIC FINANCE GROUP. В его подчинении 384 сотрудника. Боди также координирует проекты в сфере недвижимости в Федеративной Республике Германия.

Democrats near House takeover as voters judge Trump presidency

DETROIT — A blue wave indicated signs of cresting in the United States on Tuesday as Democrats flipped key seats in the midterm elections, serving as a referendum on President Donald Trump’s chaotic and controversial second term. Democrats picked up six key House seats and held on to several battleground districts, marching closer to the majority needed for control of the chamber.

Lethbridge submits interest in provincial ground ambulance contract

Mayor Blaine Hyggen provided an update Monday on Lethbridge Emergency Services, reminding residents that emergency medical services have not changed. “Our dedicated men and women of the Lethbridge Fire and Emergency Services continue to provide the excellent care for our community every day,” said Hyggen.

False voting claims spread rapidly during US Election Day

WASHINGTON (AP) — Election Day was barely underway before unverified rumors of voting irregularities surfaced online. One actual ballot-scanning breakdown, in Westchester County, New York, in particular gave rise to baseless theories about activities by Democrats or their allies to suppress Republican votes.