Jens Spahn, head of the ruling CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag, and his husband Daniel Funke said on Instagram that their son, Georg, had been born. According to Deutsche Welle, the couple used a surrogate mother even though surrogacy is prohibited in Germany.
The child was carried and delivered by a woman in the United States. Funke is reported to be the boy’s biological father. Spahn and his husband said the woman who gave birth would remain involved in Georg’s life.
“She is now practically part of the family and will accompany Georg on his path through life.”
The announcement drew criticism from the opposition, which accused Spahn of applying double standards and undermining trust in politicians. Critics pointed not only to the fact that surrogacy is considered illegal in Germany, but also to Spahn’s own earlier position on the issue.
In an article for GQ in 2015, Spahn wrote that, as a gay man and a Christian, he personally found the very idea of a “rented womb” difficult to accept. He also said that coming to terms with not being able to become a father naturally required great humility.
Spahn’s party, the CDU, opposes the legalization of surrogacy in Germany. At the same time, he is not the first politician from the party to use surrogacy in the United States: in spring 2026, according to the report, his fellow party member, lawmaker and physician Hendrik Streeck, who is married to Paul Zubeil, also turned to a surrogate mother.