The Icelandic Children’s Minister resigned after admitting that he had a teenage child more than 30 years ago.
Astildur Roa Torsdotothir said in a media interview that the boy first began his relationship when he was 15, and she was a 22-year-old counselor for the religious organization he attended.
She then gave birth to his child when he was 16, and she was 23.
“Thirty-six years have passed, and a lot has changed at that point and I would have been dealing with these issues in a different way than I did today,” the 58-year-old told Icelandic media.
Iceland’s prime minister, Christol Frostadodottil, told the media that this was a “serious problem,” but she said she didn’t know anything more than the “average person.”
“This is a very personal issue [and] Respect for those involved, I will not comment on the substance,” she said.
According to the Visir newspaper, Frostadóttir said he only received a confirmation of the story on Thursday night.
She immediately summoned the child pastor to her office, where she resigned.
Icelandic news agency Ruv broke the story on Thursday night.
Thórsdóttir revealed in an interview with them that she had met her father. His father was named Eiríkásmundsson and worked for the religious organization Trúoglíf (Religion and Life).
He was 15 years old and she was 22 at the time of their meeting. Thórsdóttir gave birth to a son, both of whom were a year older.
Ruv reports that the relationship was a secret, but Asman Sonson was present at the birth of the child and spent the first year with him.
However, the press writes that this changed when Thórsdóttir met his current husband.
They report that they submitted documents to Iceland’s Ministry of Justice requesting access to his son, but Tolsdottir denied it and demanded that he pay child support from him over the next 18 years.
Asmanson’s relatives have tried to contact the Icelandic Prime Minister twice about their relationship last week.
Frostadóttir said last night when a woman revealed that she had involved a government minister, she sought more information, which led to revelation and resignation.
In a television interview with Ruv last night, Thórsdóttir said she was angry that the woman had contacted the prime minister.
“I understand… what it looks like,” she said, adding, “It’s very difficult to tell the right thing in today’s news.”
Your age of consent in Iceland is 15, but if you are a teacher or mentor, it is illegal to have sex with someone under the age of 18 if they are financially dependent on you or work for you. The maximum sentence for this crime is three years in prison.
Despite resigning from her ministerial job, Tolsdottil said she has no plans to leave Congress.
