[Sense and sensibility in delivery care].

The organisation of delivery care engages both professional and laypersons. When the Norwegian princess Märtha Louise in 2005 chose to give birth at home instead of in hospital, the intensity of the debate in media increased. Some professionals claim with great persuasion that among selected low-risk women, birth at home or in small midwifery units is as safe as in larger delivery units in hospitals. The scientific evidence for this statement is, however, weak. The Norwegian National Advisory Committee for Maternal Care is an important contributor to this debate. The Committee should, however, pay more respect to the scientific disagreement within the field.