Dutch head of government and his partner become fathers – thanks to a surrogate mother

Dutch Prime Minister Rob Jetten and his partner say they are going to be parents. "Someone very special is on the way. See you in 2027, little darling," Jetten and Argentina-born ice hockey player Nicolás Keenan wrote on Instagram on Monday, accompanied by a photo of the couple with an ultrasound scan.

The head of government's social-liberal D66 party emphasized in a statement that the pregnancy was made possible by a couple who were friends and who already had children of their own. “This is not a commercial surrogacy,” the party said. The surrogate mother is Dutch, as is the egg donor. Both women are also acquaintances of Jetten and Keenan. “They are very happy to be able to help the two expectant fathers realize their dream of having a child in this way.” The pregnant woman named “Lisa” is also quoted with her own statement: “Being a surrogate mother feels like a very special way to help make the dream of our dear friends come true.”

The 39-year-old Jetten has been Prime Minister of the Netherlands since the beginning of the year. His Argentine partner Keenan (29) is a professional hockey player and Argentina national team player.

The two got engaged in November 2024. They both originally wanted to get married this year. But the wedding was postponed until next year. They justified this with the Prime Minister's busy schedule. The left-liberal Jetten leads a minority government made up of three parties.

Altruistic surrogacy is legal in the Netherlands

Surrogacy is only legal in the Netherlands if it is done selflessly - that is, if the woman carrying the child is not paid for it. Jetten has previously campaigned for a reform of surrogacy law. According to his government's plans, commercial surrogacy should remain banned.

The couple received many congratulations on Instagram, but Dutch media also reported hostility on social networks. Some commentators also question whether Jetten can combine parenthood and being prime minister and accuse him of making too much of his private life public.

In Germany, CDU politician Jens Spahn resigned from his position as Union faction leader in the summer after it became known that he and his husband had become parents with the help of a surrogate mother in the USA. As a politician, Spahn had previously spoken out against this possibility in Germany.

Surrogacy is prohibited in Germany. The Union advocates that this ban be maintained.