Når det normale bliver det gode: normalitet, normativitet og graviditet

This article is based on interviews with pregnant women and observations of their encounters with the health care system, and in particular the norms expressed in these meetings. There is a clear norm saying that one should have a risk assessment of the foetus carried out in the early stages of pregnancy. There is also a norm that what technology tells us about the foetus will be the truth. At the same time, there are norms as to which defects are acceptable in a foetus, depending on one's social context. The article examines how these norms are expressed, how they guide health professionals' advice, and the choices and exclusions pregnant women make with regard to foetal examinations and disabled children. The concept of normality is discussed with regard to the different perceptions of what can be included in the category 'normal' in the context of these women's individual circumstances and social context, a discussion inspired by Nikolas Rose and Georges Canguilhem's theoretical considerations.