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Iceland’s child minister Ásthildur Lóa Thórsdóttir resigned after admitting to having a child at 23 with a 16-year-old, Eirík Ásmundsson, leading to backlash and a meeting with the PM.
Iceland’s child minister Ásthildur Lóa Thórsdóttir.
Iceland’s child minister Ásthildur Lóa Thórsdóttir resigned from her post soon after admitting to having a child when she was 23 with a 16-year-old, who was later made to pay child support for 18 years.
The startling revelation came Thursday when Icelandic news outlet RUV exposed a decades-old relationship, leading Thórsdóttir, 58, to confess. She admitted that in the late 1980s, at 22, while working as a counselor in a church group, she became involved with a teenage member, Eirík Ásmundsson.
NEW: Iceland’s minister for children abruptly resigns after it’s revealed that she got impregnated by a teen.This is not what they meant in the job description when they said “someone who loves kids.”
Ásthildur Lóa Thórsdóttir admitted to having a child with a 16-year-old when… pic.twitter.com/Q9hBK2a8sd
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) March 21, 2025
A year later, at 23, Thórsdóttir gave birth to their child, with Ásmundsson present during the delivery. Despite his youth, he was legally obligated to pay child support until the child turned 18. Reports suggest that after marrying another man, Thórsdóttir greatly restricted Ásmundsson’s access to the child.
“I understand… what it looks like,” Thórsdóttir said in response to the backlash, adding that it is “very difficult to get the right story across in the news today.” She admitted she would have handled things differently in hindsight. Although Iceland’s age of consent is 15, the law prohibits adults in positions of authority, like teachers or mentors, from having relationships with minors.
It is still unclear if an investigation will be launched. Prime Minister Kristrún Frostadóttir called Thórsdóttir in for a meeting Thursday before she resigned. “This is a very personal matter, and out of respect for the person involved, I will not comment on the substance,” the PM stated. Despite stepping down from her ministerial role, Thórsdóttir has indicated she does not plan to resign from parliament.
