Between around 1966 and 1975, thousands of
Greenlandic Inuit girls and women had
intrauterine devices (IUDs) inserted to prevent
pregnancy under the direction of the Danish government and by Danish doctors.
[6] Half of the 9,000 women in Greenland who could have children were given IUDs in the first five years of the program;
[7] some of the affected girls were as young as 12,
[8] and in many cases, women (and in the case of girls, their parents)
did not consent to the procedure.
[9] For instance,
Naja Lyberth was 13 or 14 years old, Elisibánguak' Jeremiasssen was 13,
[10] and Arnannguaq Poulsen was 16 and staying in Denmark when she received hers.
[11] All of the girls in Lyberth's class were told to have IUDs placed by a visiting doctor
[12] and then taken to a hospital for them to be inserted.
[13] The purpose of the campaign was to prevent unplanned or unwanted pregnancies, lower childcare costs, and control the birth rate in Greenland.
[14] Thousands of girls and women ultimately had IUDs placed without their consent during the campaign.
[13] As a result, the birth rate in Greenland was halved in just a few years.
[8]