Denmark Prepares Compensation for Contraception Scandal

COPENHAGEN, TUESDAY - The Danish government has apologized to the people of Greenland, particularly the Inuit, the region's indigenous people. The apology follows a forced contraception scandal. The Danish government plans to provide compensation funds to the Greenlandic women affected by the scandal.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced the plan on Monday (22/9/2025). Referring to reports from The Guardian, the Danish Government plans to establish a reconciliation fund in collaboration with the Government of Greenland.

The plan was confirmed in a statement released by the Danish Prime Minister's Office. Frederiksen stated that he would discuss the establishment of the reconciliation fund with Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen during his visit to Nuuk, Greenland, on Wednesday (24/9/2025).

The visit also marks Denmark's effort to officially apologize to Greenland for the IUD or intrauterine device scandal. This visit will be a historic step for the relationship between Copenhagen and Nuuk.

"The reconciliation fund allows Denmark to provide individual financial compensation to Greenlandic women in the IUD case and to other Greenlandic citizens who have been targets of failure and systematic discrimination because they are Greenlandic citizens," stated a release from the Danish Prime Minister's Office.

The forced contraception scandal began when Denmark launched a population control policy in Greenland. Danish historian Soeren Rud explained to the BBC that after World War II, Greenland's small population surged. By 1970, it had nearly doubled.

The growing population presents challenges in providing housing and welfare services. For financial reasons and colonial attitudes, Denmark implemented that policy.

Rud said, “The policy reduces the challenges in providing housing and welfare services.”

Records from the national archives indicate that between 1966 and 1970, 4,500 Inuit women and girls, some as young as 13 years old, were fitted with IUDs or intrauterine contraceptive devices. This procedure was part of a contraceptive program managed by Danish doctors.

At that time, the role of these Danish doctors was justified. Greenland was a colony of Denmark until 1953. Greenland only gained full autonomy in 1979. Nevertheless, Copenhagen continued to oversee the healthcare system until Greenland took over responsibility in 1992.

From the program, the use of contraceptive devices expanded, leading to a drastic slowdown in Greenland's population growth. The scale of the contraceptive program was first revealed in 2022 in an investigative podcast titled Spiralkampagnen or the spiral contraceptive campaign.

The device used in the contraceptive program is known as a spiral. This device is placed inside the womb or uterus, serving to prevent pregnancy.

In recent years, many women have reported that they have been fitted with an IUD without their knowledge or consent. Only a few women are aware of this contraceptive campaign.

From that number, it is also unclear how many cases of IUD insertion were performed without consent. However, dozens of women later shared their traumatic personal stories. Some of them also recounted being left infertile, and almost all suffered from physical and psychological issues.

A total of 143 women from Greenland, approximately 138 of whom were under the age of 18 at the time the program was conducted, have filed a lawsuit against the Danish government. They are seeking compensation.

"Although we do not yet have a complete picture, the government (Denmark) is very impressed because so many Greenlandic women unanimously report that they have been victims of abuse by the Danish healthcare system," said Frederiksen.

On August 27, 2025, Frederiksen and Nielsen subsequently delivered a long-awaited apology to the women of Greenland and their families who were affected. "On behalf of Denmark, I apologize to the women impacted in the IUD case and for the failures that should have been Denmark's responsibility, where the citizens of Greenland were systematically treated differently and inferiorly compared to citizens of other realms," said Frederiksen at the end of August.

"We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility. Therefore, on behalf of Denmark, I would like to express: I am sorry," added Frederiksen as quoted by Euronews.

In a statement on Monday, Frederiksen said, "I look forward to the opportunity to deliver an official apology in Nuuk alongside the president of the Greenland Parliament. We cannot change what has happened, but we can take responsibility and create conditions for reconciliation with the past," added Frederiksen as quoted by The Guardian.

The reconciliation funds, the amount of which was not specified, can also be used to provide compensation to other Greenland residents who face discrimination due to their origins, the statement added.

One of the victims, Henriette Berthelsen, stated that at the end of August, she was pleased with the apology, although it came somewhat late. Naja Lyberth, a psychologist, in an interview with the BBC said, "The government has 100 percent violated the law by infringing on our human rights and causing serious harm to us."

"An apology, of course, is good and makes my clients happy. It is part of what they need," said Mads Pramming, the lawyer representing the Inuit women who are suing, to the BBC.

"What we have not heard is whether they also acknowledge or agree that this is a violation of human rights," added Pramming.

Mette Frederiksen acknowledged that the case has caused "anger and sadness for many residents of Greenland and many families." The case has also damaged perceptions of Denmark.

This case is one of several controversial cases involving Denmark's treatment of the people of Greenland. Other cases include the separation of Inuit children from their parents to be placed with Danish foster families for re-education, as well as the controversial competency tests for parents that resulted in the forced separation of Greenlandic families.

Denmark's policy over the centuries has been deemed to undermine the dignity of the people of Greenland and their families. This controversy has shaken the relationship between Greenland in the Arctic and Copenhagen, and has contributed to calls for independence.

Denmark took the first step in 2022 to improve relations with the Inuit population in Greenland. Six Inuit individuals received apologies and compensation from Denmark, more than 70 years after being separated from their families to participate in experiments aimed at creating a Danish-speaking elite on the island. (AP/AFP/REUTERS)