On August 27, 2025, a historic reckoning unfolded between Denmark and Greenland as both governments issued a long-awaited public apology for decades of forced contraception inflicted upon Greenlandic Indigenous girls and women. The joint statement, delivered by Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, acknowledged a dark and painful chapter in the relationship between the two nations—a chapter marked by systematic discrimination, human rights violations, and lasting physical and psychological harm.
For many, this apology was overdue. The scandal, which came to light only in recent years, dates back to the 1960s and 1970s when Danish authorities, seeking to curb Greenland’s rapidly growing population, fitted as many as 4,500 Inuit women and girls with intrauterine contraceptive devices (IUDs)—often without their knowledge or consent. According to BBC and Associated Press reports, this amounted to about half of all fertile women in Greenland at the time, with some victims as young as 12 or 13 years old. The program’s alleged purpose was to limit population growth during a period when improved healthcare and living conditions were causing the island’s population to surge.
The forced contraception campaign, administered by Danish doctors, was not widely known to the public until 2022, when a Danish broadcaster’s podcast series, Spiralkampagnen (the coil campaign), exposed the scale and trauma of the operations. The revelations prompted outrage in both Greenland and Denmark, with dozens of women coming forward to share their stories of abuse, loss, and a sense of betrayal by the healthcare system they had trusted. Some were left sterile, while nearly all suffered lasting emotional scars.
"We cannot change what has happened. But we can take responsibility," Prime Minister Frederiksen said in her official statement, as quoted by Reuters and AP. "That is why I would like to say, on behalf of Denmark: Sorry." She further acknowledged that the apology extended beyond the forced contraception, covering Denmark’s systematic discrimination and mistreatment of Greenlanders "because they were Greenlanders." Frederiksen openly admitted that the campaign had caused "both physical and psychological harm."
For the victims, the apology was bittersweet. Henriette Berthelsen, one of the affected women, told AFP she was "happy but it has perhaps come belatedly," reflecting a sentiment echoed by many who felt the apology should have come much sooner. Lawyer Mads Pramming, representing the group of women who have taken legal action, told BBC, "An apology, that's nice of course, and makes my clients happy. That's part of what they need. [What] we've not heard anything about is whether they also admit or agree that this was a human rights violation."
The legal battle for recognition and redress continues. Nearly 150 Inuit women have sued Denmark, filing compensation claims against its health ministry for violating their rights. Of these, 138 were under 18 at the time the IUDs were implanted, according to BBC and AP. The forced contraception campaign, which began in the 1960s, officially continued until 1992, when Greenland took over control of its own health sector from Copenhagen. However, sporadic cases persisted even after that, with BBC reporting incidents as late as 2018.
Greenland, once a Danish colony, became a province in 1953, gained home rule in 1979, and achieved self-governing status about 30 years later. Despite these changes, Danish influence over Greenland’s affairs remained significant, especially in public health. The apology from Greenland’s current Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, acknowledged the island’s own responsibility for cases that occurred under its authority. "I apologise to those of you who have been exposed to and lived with the consequences of interventions you did not ask for nor had control over," Nielsen said in the joint statement, as reported by AP.
Nielsen also used social media to express his feelings: "Far too many women were affected in a way that left deep imprints on lives, families and communities. I feel for the women and their loved ones. And I share in their sorrow and anger. It was about time that there was an apology from the official Denmark. For too long, the victims of the spiral case have been silenced to death. It’s sad that an apology only comes now—it’s too late and too bad."
The scandal is not an isolated incident in the troubled history between Denmark and Greenland. Forced adoptions, the removal of Inuit children from their families, and controversial parental competency tests have all contributed to a legacy of mistrust and calls for greater independence in Greenland. Historian Soeren Rud told BBC that the rationale for the forced contraception policy was shaped by both financial considerations and colonial attitudes. After World War II, Greenland’s population nearly doubled by 1970, and Danish authorities sought to limit this growth to reduce the challenges of providing housing and welfare services.
The full extent of the campaign’s impact is still being uncovered. A formal inquiry, launched in 2023, has been investigating the forced contraception program and is expected to release its findings in September 2025. Danish Prime Minister Frederiksen emphasized that, "Even though we do not have the full picture, it makes a serious impression on the government, that so many Greenlandic women unanimously report that they have been subjected to abuse by the Danish healthcare system."
The apology has been welcomed by many, including Greenlandic MP Aaja Chemnitz, who told BBC it was vital for both Greenlandic and Danish society to achieve closure. "These different cases are not historic, but actually present. These are people living today, that have been affected by this. We also need to focus on compensation for the women. Of course, we're going to look into the report. We're going to follow up politically."
For the women affected, and for the broader Greenlandic community, the apology marks an important step toward healing, but it is not the end of the story. As the world waits for the inquiry’s final report, many in Greenland and Denmark are watching closely to see whether words of contrition will be matched by meaningful action—compensation, legal acknowledgment of human rights violations, and, crucially, reforms to ensure that such abuses never happen again.
As the dust settles on this historic apology, the scars of the past remain. Yet, the courage of the women who spoke out, the public reckoning with uncomfortable truths, and the promise of further investigation offer hope that a more just and respectful relationship between Denmark and Greenland may finally be within reach.
