German centre-right politician Jens Spahn has been accused of double standards, after he revealed he and his husband had become parents using a surrogate mother in the US.
Surrogacy is banned in Germany - a policy firmly backed by his Christian Democrat party, and several years ago by Spahn himself.
this post was submitted on 17 Jul 2026
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Law is for the masses, not the the elites. They have different rules.
Tja.
Tja.
Tja.
Tja.
In den USA sagen wir "welp", besonders im Mittleren Westen. Ich glaube, das bedeutet "tja". Vielleicht nicht, aber klingt es angemessen.
Prettty much spot on. 😁
passiert.
Machse nix.
If that is the thing that brings Spahn down I don’t know to laugh or cry.
That guy should have resign long ago. (The mask affair!?)
You mean he should be in prison for a long time.
Typical christian hypocrisy.
TIL surrogacy is illegal in Germany. What the fuck?
Most leftists in Europe wtf's the US for having legal surrogacy
Having babies isn't the problem in the US. The nutcases will be fine with IVF, surrogates, etc., for example, but a vasectomy or birth control pills are a "no go" because that's "not God's plan".....like IVF apparently is?
It's when you DON'T want to have babies (be gay, abortion, no kids couple, single person) that suddenly it's a problem.
Why is surrogacy criminalized in Germany, France, Italy, etc?
Numerous ethical questions have been raised with regards to surrogacy. They generally stem from concerns relating to social justice, women's rights, child welfare, bioethics and societal traditional values. In german media mostly the women's rights concerns are mentioned. There seems to be no short answer to your question.
This. Is actually don't necessarily agree with the ban but it's an ethical question that has gained more traction in Europe than North America and is generally considered a leftist issue here.
I can appreciate that, but could you be more specific? Many in the US would see it as a positive for women's rights to be able to have a surrogate baby, for example. And having a baby via surrogacy is so expensive that generally the parents are well off enough that they can provide for a child and want to do so.
By degrading women to purchasable "baby producers", commercial surrogacy has been accused by feminists of commodifying women's bodies in a manner akin to prostitution. Also creating a commercial market for human bodies is inherently exploitative. Some argue that commercial surrogacy strips birthmothers of their natural rights. Most countries consider the birthmother (not necessary the biological mother) to be the legal mother unless she freely chooses to put her child up for adoption (without coercion or payment).
By denying women who are willing to provide that service (for the right price), you are also denying all gay couples the right to have children related to them, which I would argue is actually the real reason, and the “it degrades women” thing is just a bullshit cover for homophobia and incel/eugenics culture.
“Don’t let the gays reproduce and spread their degeneracy” etc etc
For me this sounds a bit paranoid. We dont live in a homophobic society anymore so I don't think that this is the main reason for most people who are against surrogacy. Gay married couples can adopt children here, its not easy (as its not easy in general to adopt children) but its possible.
I live in America in 2026.
I have good reason not to trust a government that makes rules about women’s bodies right now.
Good
"Politicians who set standards for others must be measured by them too," said Marion Rosin, a Christian Democrat in Thuringia and part of the Women's Union. "If that credibility is gone, resignation is a matter of consequence."
Naturally. I imagine that if Marion Rosin could be shown to have purchased any product originating in another country with different labor laws than in Germany and operating in accordance with the labor laws of that country rather than German ones, that she would certainly herself resign and end her own political career. As a matter of principle, perhaps Ms. Rosin would care to show us, say, the tags on the items of her wardrobe?
Well, playing devils advocate here: your comparison lacks. Buying foreign products well within the free market system, in which her party beliefs.
Also describing the birth of a human as a product is a choice.
Playing devils advocate as well, the argument would also be stronger, if her party simultaneously worked for better labour laws in Germany.
She's in the wrong party to be accused of that.
She's only concerned with her party's stance. And as good Christians her party is in full support of child slaves producing her clothes.