Two expert reports on the Greenland spiral case are published on Friday, August 28, 2026, examining whether the insertion of contraception without consent amounted to human rights violations.
The reports look at the period from 1960 up to the present day, and at the use of contraception in Greenland. As reported by Avisen Danmark, citing Ritzau, they are to establish whether human rights were breached.
Among the cases covered are women who had intrauterine devices inserted without giving consent. Denmark held responsibility for the health service in Greenland until January 1, 1992. The reports also cover the years after that date.
The investigation was originally meant to result in a single report. Because of disagreements within the expert group, the group was split, and two separate reports are being published instead. The disagreements concerned the professional approach to the work.
The expert group initially consisted of Dalee Sambo Dorough from Canada, Miriam Cullen from New Zealand, and the Danish researchers Jonas Christoffersen and Jensine Nedergaard. Around the turn of the year from 2025 to 2026, the two Danish researchers withdrew from the group. They chose instead to produce their own contribution in Danish.
Delays in publication
The Greenlandic government stated in early February 2026 that it had received the two reports. Publication took longer than first expected, according to the government. One reason was that translation of the reports took more time than anticipated.
The reports also had to undergo peer review, meaning they were checked by other researchers, per the Greenlandic government. Naalakkersuisut, the Greenland government, is presenting the reports at a press conference in Nuuk. Greenlandic outlets KNR and Sermitsiaq are among the sources cited in the Avisen Danmark account, alongside Danmarks Nationalleksikon.
An independent Danish report from 2025 reconstructed how the spiral program was carried out. It estimated that around 4,070 Greenlandic girls and women had a spiral inserted between 1966 and the end of 1970. That figure covers only those years.
According to Greenlandic media coverage from KNR and Sermitsiaq, the reports also assess whether the Danish actions could meet the legal definition of genocide. The assessment is one of the central questions the expert work was asked to address. The two reports reach their conclusions separately.
Denmark administered health care in Greenland for decades before responsibility was transferred. The transfer took effect on January 1, 1992, several years after Greenland was granted home rule. The reports published Friday cover both the period of Danish responsibility and the years since.
