Denmark Approves Compensation for Forced Contraception in Greenland
The Danish government passed a bill providing one-time payments to Greenlandic women subjected to forced contraception between the 1960s and 1990s.
The Government of Denmark passed a compensation bill on Thursday to provide one-time payments of 300,000 Danish kroner, approximately $47,000, to Greenlandic women and girls subjected to forced contraception. Between the 1960s and 1990s, Danish doctors secretly implanted intrauterine devices in over 4,000 individuals, some as young as 12, to limit population growth in Greenland. Many victims experienced severe health complications and lifelong infertility.
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen issued an official apology for the campaign, referred to as the Spiral Case. To qualify for payment, applicants must provide detailed accounts of their experiences, though government officials noted that medical records are not mandatory for the process.
The compensation measure comes as Denmark attempts to strengthen relations with its semiautonomous territory. This diplomatic effort occurs amid threats from U.S. President Donald Trump to annex the Arctic island.
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