Greenland compensates 15 women in IUD case

Greenland is set to award DKK 300,000 in compensation to each of the 15 Greenlandic women who had an IUD inserted without their consent after 1991, when Greenland’s local government took over the healthcare system from Denmark. Greenland’s Finance Minister and Siumut party chairman, Erik Jensen, emphasized the importance of apologizing to these women by acknowledging the unacceptable treatment they experienced. Women who received IUDs without consent prior to 1991 have not yet received compensation, as Denmark awaits a report due in 2025 examining the extent of the issue from 1960 to 1991. In parallel, Denmark and Greenland agreed to begin this investigation in 2023. Meanwhile, 143 women have sued the Danish state, demanding a total of DKK 43 million in compensation for involuntary IUD insertions by Danish doctors in the 1960s and 70s. Jensen indicated that the Greenlandic government is prepared to compensate additional cases if they surface.