Iceland’s education minister resigns amidst past affair scandal
Asthildur Loa Thorsdottir, the Icelandic Minister of Education, has resigned from her position. She announced her resignation after it was revealed she had an affair with a 15-year-old, with whom she later had a child.
According to the Icelandic public broadcaster RUV, Thorsdottir, at the age of 22, was leading a Christian youth group that a troubled 15-year-old joined. She developed a close relationship with the boy, and a year later, they had a son.
Controversies surrounding the relationship
In a conversation with journalists, the now 58-year-old Thorsdottir denied sexually exploiting the teenager, although she admitted she didn't handle the situation well. "He was so in love with me that no matter how I tried to escape, it didn’t work," she explained. She emphasised that, at that time, age differences in relationships were not uncommon, although they usually involved older men and younger women.
The father of the child, now an adult, stated that he did not feel like a victim, but rather a person seeking support. He accused Thorsdottir of obstructing contact with the child after their breakup when she remarried and demanded child support.
Reactions to the minister's decision
Ethicist Henry Alexander Henrysson from the University of Iceland considered Thorsdottir's decision to resign as the only viable option. "Her credibility in that position would have been severely limited," he assessed. Despite leaving the government, Thorsdottir plans to retain her seat in parliament.
According to RUV, Thorsdottir's relationship with the 15-year-old might have been an example of exploiting a caretaker-ward dependency, which currently risks a penalty of up to three years in prison.
