The independent study of the IUD case is being released today

The study examines the IUD case and other contraceptive practices in Greenland and at boarding schools in Denmark with Greenlandic students from 1960 to 1991.

The study has been conducted by researchers at Ilisimatusarfik, Center for Public Health in Greenland at the National Institute of Public Health, SDU, the Danish National Archives, and KU at the request of the Ministry of the Interior and Health and the current Greenlandic Ministry of Health and Persons with Disabilities.

The researchers' task has been to examine the historical context, the decision-making process behind the implementation of contraception in practice, and the legal, administrative, and health-related basis at the time of the IUD case and other contraceptive practices.

The study covers the period from 1960 to 1991, when Greenland took over responsibility for health care.

Tenna Jensen, head of the study at Ilisimatusarfik and senior researcher at the Center for Public Health in Greenland at the National Institute of Public Health, SDU, has led the research team. She states:

"Our task has been to uncover and shed light on the case, using historical sources and witness accounts, among other things, and we have now submitted the report to the Ministry of the Interior and Health and the Greenlandic Ministry of Health and Persons with Disabilities. The report is thus based on extensive material and can be used as a basis for broader insight into the case."

A total of 354 women have shared their personal experiences with the researchers. According to Ingelise Olesen, research coordinator at the Center for Public Health in Greenland at the National Institute of Public Health, SDU, the accounts have provided unique insight into how the practice was experienced from the perspective of the women involved.

"We are very grateful for the trust that the women affected have shown us by submitting their accounts to the study," she says.

Gitte Adler Reimer, rector of Ilisimatusarfik, University of Greenland, has also been part of the research team. She expresses her gratitude for the great trust that politicians have shown Ilisimatusarfik by putting it at the forefront of the study and adds:

"The study has been a major and important collaboration between Greenlandic and Danish researchers. For us at Ilisimatusarfik, it has been essential to ensure that Greenlandic perspectives have been present throughout the process and that the research can help create a solid basis for further reflection," she says.

The report can be downloaded from the websites of Ilisimatusarfik and the National Institute of Public Health.

Enquiries regarding the report can be directed to head of the research team, Tenna Jensen, and the research team via [email protected].

We strive to respond as quickly as possible.