Iceland’s minister for children has resigned after admitting she had a child with a teenager more than 30 years ago.
Ásthildur Lóa Thórsdóttir said in a media interview she had first started a relationship when the boy was 15 years old, and she was a 22-year-old counsellor at a religious group which he attended.
She then gave birth to his child when he was 16 years old and she was 23.
“It’s been 36 years, a lot of things change in that time and I would definitely have dealt with these issues differently today,” the 58-year-old told Icelandic media.
Iceland’s prime minister, Kristrún Frostadóttir, told the press this was “a serious matter”, although she said she knew little more than “the average person”.
“This is a very personal matter [and] out of respect for the person concerned, I will not comment on the substance,” she said.
According to Visir newspaper, Frostadóttir said she had only received confirmation of the story on Thursday night.
She immediately summoned the children’s minister to her office, where she resigned
