Danish Prime Minister Apologizes for Greenland Contraception Scandal

Fri Oct 17 2025 04:16:44 GMT+0300 (Eastern European Summer Time)

In a heartfelt address, Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has apologized to Inuit women in Greenland for a historical contraception scandal involving forced IUD placements.

During an emotionally charged event in Nuuk, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen apologized to victims of a past birth control program that forcibly implanted contraceptive coils in Inuit women. Acknowledging the justice and pain experienced by women during the 1960s and 70s, Frederiksen's apology was met with mixed emotions, as some victims expressed the need for further accountability and compensation.

Dozens of women in Greenland have heard Denmark's prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, formally apologise for a scandal that involved thousands of Inuit women being forcibly given contraceptive coils as part of a controversial birth control programme during the 1960s and 70s.

Dear women. Dear families. Dear Greenland. Today there is only one right thing to say to you. Sorry, Frederiksen told a packed venue in the centre of the capital Nuuk.

During an emotionally charged event, one woman stood with her back to the prime minister in protest, a black handprint painted across her mouth.

Sorry for the injustice that was committed against you, Frederiksen said. Because you were Greenlanders. Sorry for what was taken from you. And for the pain it caused, she continued. On behalf of Denmark. Sorry.

Naja Lyberth, one of the first Inuit Greenlanders to speak out about what happened, received a standing ovation as she addressed Wednesday's event. If we are to move forward, the apology is crucial, she said.

An official inquiry earlier this month concluded that at least 4,000 women had a coil implanted by 1970, corresponding to roughly half the Greenlandic females of childbearing age. In over 300 cases examined, women and girls as young as 12 had been fitted with an IUD without their knowledge or consent.

While Lyberth welcomed the apology and the investigation, she criticized that it had not explored possible human rights violations. Frederiksen acknowledged the trauma many women had suffered and the complications they faced, including infertility. Some women expressed disappointment that no mention of compensation was made, calling it an empty gesture.

Elisa Christensen, one of the women mentioned by the prime minister in her speech, described the apology as very overwhelming but noted the absence of compensation discussions was a significant drawback.

Frederiksen previously announced plans for a reconciliation fund, but details remain scarce. A lawsuit has also been filed by a group of 143 women seeking compensation for the historical injustices.

Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen referred to these events as one of the darkest chapters in the country's history, reinforcing the need for a reconciliation process.

The timing of Frederiksen's apology comes amid rising scrutiny of Denmark’s historical relationship with Greenland, accentuated by past controversies regarding forced adoptions and ongoing issues regarding child welfare.

For many, including Christensen, the apology elicited a complex mix of emotions—satisfaction for being acknowledged, but also pain for the lost opportunities and family that could have been.