German Official's Newborn Results in His Resignation

A baby announcement just upended a top German politician's career. Jens Spahn, a leading figure in the center-right Christian Democrats and an ally of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, abruptly quit as the party's parliamentary leader on Saturday after revealing that he and his husband became fathers through a surrogate in the US, reports Deutsche Welle. Surrogacy is illegal in Germany, and Spahn and his party have long supported the ban. Raising a child born through a foreign surrogate is not illegal in the country, but Spahn was nonetheless accused of hypocrisy from across the political spectrum, per the Washington Post.

"In recent days, I have become aware that my personal happiness of starting a family and becoming a father together with my husband is not compatible with my political office," Spahn wrote in his resignation letter, per the New York Times. Merz, facing weak poll numbers as he tries to sell new economic measures, reportedly pressed Spahn to resign. The uproar underscores Europe's broader clash over surrogacy: France, Spain, and Italy also ban the practice, and Italy this year introduced penalties, including possible prison time and fines, for residents who use surrogates abroad.