The Children's Minister of Iceland, Ashildur Lóa Thórsdóttir, resigned from his position after his public admission that he had a son with a teenager more than three decades ago.
In an interview with the local media, Thórsdóttir revealed that he began a relationship with the child when he was 15 years old and she was a 22 -year -old counselor in a religious group he attended.
She gave birth to her son when she turned 16, while she was 23 years old. “36 years have passed, many things change at that time and would have definitely dealt with these problems differently today,” said the 58 -year -old man.
The dissemination caused a rapid response from Prime Minister Kristún Frostadóttir, who described development as “a serious matter”, although she declared that she knew little more than “the average person.” “This is a very personal matter [and] Out of respect for the person in question, I will not comment on the substance, ”he said.
According to the Visir newspaper, the prime minister said he only realized the situation on Thursday night and subsequently summoned Thórsdóttir to his office, where the resignation was presented.
The revelations were first reported by the Icelandic news agency RUV on Thursday night. In an interview with the agency, Thórsdóttir revealed that he had met the child, identified by Ruvs as Eirík ásmundsson, while working in the religious organization Trú Og Luf (religion and life), which he had joined due to a home environment with problems. Thórsdóttir gave birth to his son a year later, when Rasmundsson was 16 years old and was 23 years old.
Ruv reported that the relationship remained in secret at that time, although Roseson was present at the birth of his son and spent the first year of the child with him. The news agency also declared that the agreement changed after Thórsdóttir met his current husband.
According to the reports, the documents seen by RUV indicate that Rasmundsson had requested the Ministry of Justice to access his child, a request that was denied by Thórsdóttir. Despite this, she continued to receive her child support payments for the next 18 years.
According to the reports, an ásmundsson relative contacted Prime Minister twice last week about the relationship. Frostadóttir said he only followed the matter after learning that a government minister was involved, which subsequently led to the revelation and complete resignation.
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Speaking again during his television interview with RUV on Thursday night, Thórsdóttir expressed his dismay for the matter that was brought to the attention of the prime minister. “I understand … how it looks,” he said, and added that it is “very difficult to get the right story in today's news.”
Although the age of consent in Iceland is 15 years, the law prohibits sexual relations with individuals under 18 years in cases where the major party occupies a position of power or trust, such as a teacher, mentor, financial provider or employer. The maximum penalty for such an offense is three years in prison.
Although he has renounced his ministerial role, Thórsdóttir confirmed that he has no intention of vacating his seat in Parliament.
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