Indigenous Women Take Denmark To Court Over Forced Contraception

A landmark legal battle is unfolding as a group of Indigenous women in Greenland takes Denmark to court, seeking redress for the forced imposition of intrauterine contraceptive devices during the 1960s and 1970s. In a recent development, their lawyer has asserted their demands for substantial compensation, totalling nearly 43 million kroner ($6.3 million). The 143 Inuit women argue that Danish health authorities violated their human rights through the imposition of these devices, commonly known as coils. Shockingly, some of these women, including many who were teenagers at the time, were either unaware of the intervention or did not provide consent.

The Alleged Purpose and Scope

The motivation behind this controversial measure was purportedly to curtail population growth in Greenland by preventing pregnancies. At the time, the Arctic island was witnessing a rapid increase in population due to improved living conditions and enhanced healthcare. The contraceptive measure involved the insertion of a small T-shaped device made from plastic and copper into the uterus, preventing sperm from fertilizing an egg.

Danish authorities acknowledge that as many as 4,500 women and girls, reportedly half of the fertile women in Greenland, received these coil implants between the 1960s and mid-1970s. This revelation sparked outrage and led to a comprehensive investigation launched jointly by the governments of Denmark and Greenland in September 2022. The investigation's outcomes are anticipated next year, but the impacted women are unwilling to endure further delays and have chosen to pursue justice through the legal system.

Last October, 67 women initially stepped forward, urging the state to compensate them or face legal consequences. Despite this, the government remained unresponsive, initiating an exponential increase in the number of women seeking justice. Each woman now demands 300,000 Danish kroner (£34,430) as restitution for the impact on their lives.

"The oldest of us are over 80 years old, and therefore we cannot wait any longer," declares Naja Lyberth, reported by The Associated Press as one of the affected women. "As long as we live, we want to regain our self-respect and respect for our wombs." Lyberth, who was just 14 when subjected to the coil fitting, emphasizes the urgency of addressing their grievances. Despite Lyberth sharing her ordeal several years ago, the scandal struggled to gain attention in Denmark. 

Recently, the Danish government has offered psychiatric counselling to those affected. However, the women, through their lawyer, Mads Pramming, assert that justice can only be achieved through the legal system, irrespective of the investigation's timeline.

Historical Context

In 2020, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued a public apology to 22 Greenland children forcibly taken to Denmark in 1951 in a failed social experiment. The initial plan aimed to modernize Greenland and offer children a better life. However, it ended in an ill-conceived attempt to reshape the identity of the Inuit through reeducation, hoping they would later return home and foster cultural links.

"We apologize to those we should have looked after but failed," stated Frederiksen. She acknowledged that "the children lost their ties to their families and lineage, their life history, to Greenland, and thus to their own people."

Greenland, once a Danish colony until 1953, achieved home rule in 1979 and later became a self-governing entity in 2009. Despite this, Denmark maintains control over foreign and defense affairs. The delayed response prompted the Danish state and Naalakkersuisut, the Greenlandic government, to initiate an impartial investigation into the coil case and other pregnancy prevention practices spanning from 1960 to 1991.