Following his resignation as leader of the Union’s parliamentary group in the wake of the surrogacy debate, Jens Spahn intends to step aside from the helm of the Münsterland CDU. “I have decided not to run again for the chair of the CDU Münsterland,” the openly gay CDU politician told Westfälische Nachrichten. The newspaper says Spahn had stated as recently as July that he planned to run again.
Shortly after, Spahn and his husband, Daniel Funke, announced that they had become parents in the United States with the help of a surrogate. The move drew criticism because surrogacy is illegal in Germany and Spahn’s party has been vocal in opposing any legalization. He himself had supported it in the past. Following mounting internal party pressure, the Münsterland native stepped down as chair of the Union faction in the Bundestag. He kept his seat as a member of parliament.
Spahn, who hails from Ahaus near the Dutch border, was elected to lead the CDU district Münsterland two years ago. He succeeded North Rhine-Westphalia’s health minister Karl-Josef Laumann, who had held the post for 21 years and did not run again.
Marcy Ellerton
