Top German conservative quits after surrogacy sparks backlash within party

German conservative leader says becoming a father through a surrogate is ‘incompatible’ with his office.A high-ranking politician in Germany’s governing conservative coalition has resigned from his position after having a baby through a surrogate mother, a move at odds with his own party.Jens Spahn, 46, the parliamentary leader of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s Christian Democrat party and its sister Christian ‌Social Union (CDU/CSU), stepped down from his role on Saturday after calls from within his own party for him to quit.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Germany’s Merz defends NATO spending after Trump calls it ‘ridiculous’list 2 of 3German coalition agrees on sweeping reform package in key breakthroughlist 3 of 3Republican Lindsey Graham dies at 71: World leaders, US politicians reactend of listNews that Spahn and his husband had become parents through a surrogate in the United States broke on Thursday, leading to criticism from his fellow conservatives and accusations of hypocrisy from the opposition.“Over the past few days, I have come to realise that my personal happiness – starting a family with my husband and becoming a father – is incompatible with my political office,” Spahn wrote in his resignation letter to party colleagues.His exit strips Merz of one of his closest allies.As parliamentary leader of the Christian Democrats, Spahn’s job was to make sure Merz’s government had the votes to pass its agenda, making it one of the most powerful roles in German politics.The practice of surrogacy is banned in Germany, though it is legal for prospective parents to raise a child born to a surrogate abroad.Spahn’s party voted to sustain the ban as recently as February.Spahn defended himself before German media on Friday, telling the Bild newspaper he had “wrestled with myself for a long time, including on the issue of surrogacy”.Merz said that Spahn’s decision to step down was “right and unavoidable”.