Abstract
‘The midwife is the expert in normal chilbirth’: these are the evocative words with which we welcome students to our profession. The phrase is dear to our hearts and perhaps forms part of our self identity. However, as Downe (1994) and Clarke (1996) have urged, a debate as to what we mean by ‘normal’ is long overdue. The debate is not just a theoretical one but crucial to the future of midwifery.

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