Forced contraception
Thousands of Greenlandic women had IUDs inserted against their will. Some are now suing Denmark
For decades, women in Greenland were given contraceptives, including the IUD, against their will
© David Tesinsky / Zuma Wire / Imago Images
In the 1960s and 1970s, numerous women in Greenland were forced to use IUDs as contraceptives – involuntarily. 143 women are now demanding millions in compensation from the state of Denmark.
It could be one of the largest human rights trials in Denmark’s history. 143 Women from Greenland are suing the Scandinavian state. The reason: Danish doctors used IUDs for contraception in the 1960s and 1970s. Against her will. And the Danish government has so far kept its feet still.
Originally there were 67 women who demanded compensation of 300,000 Danish kroner per person in October, which corresponds to around 40,000 euros. Now the number of plaintiffs has almost doubled. The total amount now amounts to 43 million crowns, or around 5.7 million euros, according to the Greenlandic Broadcasting Corporation KNR reported on Monday. The women no longer want to wait for the results of an official investigation that is not due to be presented by the state until 2025.
The IUD was inserted into 4,500 women between 1966 and 1970
“The eldest of us are more than 80 years old, we cannot wait any longer. While we are still alive, we want to regain our self-respect and respect for our wombs. No government should decide whether we should have children or not,” said the speaker Naja Lyberth to KNR. Lyberth had an IUD inserted by a Danish doctor at the age of 14 and was one of the first to speak publicly about it.
The public broadcaster Danmarks Radio (DR) covered 2022 in a Podcast titled “The Spiral Campaign” the practice in Greenland, an autonomous region of Denmark. Journalists reported how between 1966 and 1975 thousands of girls and women were treated with the contraceptive without their consent. Some of them were only 13 years old. The Danish authorities aimed to reduce population growth in Greenland.
Loud DR A total of 4,500 intrauterine devices (IUDs) were inserted between 1966 and 1970. At that time there were approximately 9,000 fertile women in Greenland. Several women reported that the IUD was forced on them, which they felt was an assault. Many women suffered severe pain or trauma in response, KNR continued. Since June 2022, victims have had the opportunity to receive free psychological treatment.
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Forced contraception in Greenland: human rights violations of “historic proportions”
Lawyer Mads Pramming sees Denmark’s actions against the Greenlandic women as a clear human rights violation. Since the state does not comment on compensation payments, they are forced to go to court, he told KNR. Pramming sees, among other things, the ban on torture, the right to respect for private and family life and the ban on discrimination being violated.
Although Pramming is currently in talks with the Danish Attorney General, he assumes that the state will only respond to the compensation claim after the ongoing official investigation has been completed.
Marya Akthar, head of the legal department at the Institute for Human Rights in Copenhagen, sees the lawsuit as one of the largest human rights trials in Denmark’s history. She speaks of human rights violations of “historic proportions,” as she told KNR – both in terms of the number of potential victims as well as the systematic nature of the alleged violations and the age of the victims, some of whom were children.
Criticism of state investigation in Denmark
Have in May 2023 the Danish government and the Naalakkersuisut, the government of Greenland, has launched a joint investigation into the IUD scandal. Scientists are supposed to investigate the allegations and clarify what contraceptive practices doctors in Greenland used until the early 1990s. After 1991, Greenlanders took over the health system from Denmark. Nevertheless, even afterwards women are said to have received contraceptives against their will.
However, critics consider the studies to be inadequate. They will not comment on whether human rights were violated. Attorney Pramming therefore does not believe it makes sense to wait for the results of the investigation. “I expect a clear answer as to whether they want to pay or not,” he said in the direction of Copenhagen. He doesn’t want a comparison. “We have the evidence, why should we wait in a case that happened so long ago?”
Denmark’s Interior and Health Minister Sophie Løhde said her ministry was “eagerly awaiting” the receipt and reading of the statement of claim.
Naja Lyberth also sees the lawsuit as the only way for women to regain their dignity. “It means that my fellow sisters and I are finding our equality and our wounded souls again. We are in this together, and this is a very big healing process for us.”
Sources: KNR, DR, TV2, “Berlingske”, University of Greenland, Government of Denmark, Naalakkersuisut, Ministry of Health Denmark, Association of Uteruses of Denmark