Danish Authorities Remove Greenlandic Newborn Amid Protests Over Banned Parenting Tests

Danish authorities removed a newborn baby from Greenlandic mother Ivana Nikoline Brønlund just one hour after birth, despite a law passed in May 2025 banning the use of controversial parenting competence tests on families with Greenlandic backgrounds. Brønlund, who is 18 and was born in Nuuk, was subjected to the psychometric FKU test, which critics argue is culturally biased and racist against Inuit parents, with authorities claiming she was "not Greenlandic enough" for the legal protections to apply. The infant, Aviaja-Luuna, was taken into foster care, and Brønlund has only been allowed limited, supervised visits without the ability to comfort or care for her child. Danish Social Affairs Minister Sophie Hæstorp Andersen has expressed concern and requested an explanation from the Høje-Taastrup municipality responsible for the removal. The decision also cited Brønlund's past trauma from abuse by her adoptive father, who is imprisoned, as a factor in the child’s removal. The case has sparked protests in Greenland, Denmark, Iceland, and beyond, reigniting debates about Denmark’s colonial legacy and the need for culturally sensitive child welfare policies that respect Indigenous family rights.