Franks cited his wife's admission to a hospital in Washington due to an "ongoing ailment." The Arizona Republican said his wife was admitted to the hospital on Thursday night.

"After discussing options with my family, we came to the conclusion that the best thing for our family now would be for me to tender my previous resignation effective today, December 8th, 2017 ,” Franks said in a statement.

Franks moved up his resignation minutes before The Associated Press reported that he repeatedly pressed a staffer to carry his child and at one point offered her $5 million to act as a surrogate. Friday that two staffers weren't sure if Franks wanted them to serve as surrogates by having intercourse with them or through in vitro fertilization. One woman believed she faced retribution after rejecting Franks's request when her access to him was cut off. Politico also reported that two staffers weren't sure if Franks wanted them to serve as surrogates by having intercourse with them or through in vitro fertilization. One woman believed she faced retribution after rejecting Franks's request when her access to him was cut off. ADVERTISEMENT The House Ethics Committee announced Thursday evening that is investigating whether Franks engaged in conduct “that constitutes sexual harassment and/or retaliation for opposing sexual harassment.”

Franks is the third member of Congress to resign this week as Capitol Hill reckons with sexual misconduct by male lawmakers.

Franks said that he and his wife experienced three miscarriages and unsuccessfully pursued adoption before finding a woman to serve as a surrogate for their twins.

Franks and his wife tried to have another child with a second surrogate when the twins were 3 years old, but it also resulted in a miscarriage.

“We continued to have a desire to have at least one additional sibling, for which our children had made repeated requests,” Franks said.

Franks had served in the House since 2003 and made a name for himself through his deep opposition to abortion. He repeatedly introduced bills to ban late-term abortions. The House most recently passed a version of Franks’s legislation in October.

Remaining in the House through January would have allowed Franks the opportunity to vote on year-end legislation like the GOP’s tax overhaul and a spending package to keep the government open past Dec. 22 . But Franks was sure to be bombarded daily in the hallways by Capitol Hill reporters seeking more information about his discussions of surrogacy with female aides. That would have kept Franks in the spotlight as lawmakers continue to grapple with sexual harassment in Congress.

The Phoenix-area district Franks represented is expected to remain in the GOP column.

A special election to replace Franks could draw several contenders, including state Sens. Debbie Lesko, Kimberly Yee and Steve Montenegro, state Reps. Darin Mitchell and David Livingston, former state Rep. Rick Gray and Maricopa County Supervisor Clint Hickman.

Updated: 4:09 p.m.