For outraged Germans, the Jens Spahn scandal is about more than his surrogate baby

The powerful politician was no stranger to controversy, but brazenly defying a ban on surrogacy that he had long defended, was the last straw Up until last week, Jens Spahn was, by all accounts, a model of political success in Germany. At just 22, he was elected to the Bundestag for the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU), and rose steadily through the ranks of the party. He was a leading official in the finance ministry, led the ministry of health through Covid and, in 2025, became his ...

By Tania Roettger