Iceland’s minister for children and education has resigned after admitting she had a child with a teenager more than three and a half decades ago, according to Icelandic media.
Ásthildur Lóa Thórsdóttir revealed that she had started a relationship with a 15-year-old boy when she was 22 and had a son with him, Iceland’s public broadcaster RUV reported on Thursday.
Thórsdóttir met the boy while working as a counselor for a religious group, the Icelandic broadcaster said, before giving birth to his child when she was 23 and he was 16.
The age of consent is 15, according to the country’s penal code. However, it is illegal for adults to have sexual relations with a child under 18 if they are entrusted to teach them, with perpetrators facing up to 12 years in prison.
The father told RUV he had never seen himself as a victim in this situation, but noted that he was in a difficult place in his life and at home turned to the church group for support.
Iceland’s public broadcaster reported that the relationship was kept secret but that the father was present for the birth of his child and initially allowed contact, but nearly all access was cut off before his son turned 1.
He was however required to pay child support for 18 years.
The young father sought assistance from the Ministry of Justice and the church’s family service to see his child, but Thórsdóttir refused him visitation rights, according to Iceland’s public broadcaster.
Shortly after RUV’s report on Thursday, Thórsdóttir resigned from her ministerial position, the public broadcaster said. She will continue to represent the People’s Party as a member of parliament.
Iceland’s prime minister said Thórsdóttir had met with the country’s three party leaders but it had been her decision to resign, according to RUV.
“We discussed the options together and heard her account of the matter in detail for the first time at that meeting,” Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir said at a news conference Friday, RUV reported. The leader reiterated that Thórsdóttir had swiftly taken responsibility by resigning.
“Of course, this is an unfortunate matter, but it has nothing to do with our work,” Frostadóttir said, adding that the prime minister’s office had not finished investigating the matter since it was brought to their attention a week ago.