the Inuit presented a view of birth as naturally safe, in contrast to clinicians who saw birth as inherently dangerous. [..] The implicit comparison is drawn between the present situation, in which health professionals claim a monopoly over obstetric knowledge and this traditional time when information about childbirth was disseminated throughout the community, passing from one generation to the next. To be without knowledge is to be at risk; to be dependent on others is to be at risk. [..]

"Inuit people do not believe that having a child, being pregnant, birthing is a disease. It's not an illness. It's a way of life, a normal function of a human being. And in the sense that it's not a disease, then they don't think that you absolutely have to be in a hospital... They [the Inuit] have delivered babies before for centuries and centuries."

Risk is not denied, but accepted as a part of the reality of northern life. The underlying philosophical concept is expressed in the following quotation:

"Can you guarantee me my life tomorrow? ... There's always risk. I mean you wouldn't live if you didn't live with risks."

[..] The question is who has the power to define risk and to insist that their view should prevail over those of others.

Pregnancy has never been seen as medically dangerous as birth, although during the Soviet period both, birth and pregnancy, became potentially more ‘dangerous’ than earlier because of the impact of the language of obstetrics on risk and pathology. As a young surgeon reflected:
"I must admit, I’ve never seen a normal birth. During my studies in obstetrics, it just happened that while I was in the maternity hospital to see a delivery there were none. (..) The only deliveries I’ve seen in my life are caesareans I’ve performed myself. How can I possibly have a valid perspective on birth? Books consist only of pathologies and complications."

[..]

This view allowed women to perceive abortion as a means of contraception. [..] I heard an extreme case of these views on pregnancy from a woman who worked as a prostitute. She used pregnancy itself for providing contraception. After giving birth she left her baby behind. For her having an abortion was a nuisance since soon afterwards she would get pregnant again. Pregnancy gave her more assurance of not getting pregnant and freed her from the troubles of contraception.

man vispār patīk nolīst skolas bibliotēkā kaut kādā galīgi nepiedienīgā vietā, kur ir nevis galds, bet kaut kāds mazs, nelietots plaukts, atstiept tur krēslu, iespraust datōru, un rakstīt kaut kādas gudrības (vai ne tik ļoti) par Burjatiju un post-sociālisma Rumāniju un vēl citām, klausoties sūfiju sievietes dziesmās valodā, no kuras es zinu vienu vārdu, saņemt zvanus no saviem darba devējiem, kā psihopāte piekrist darīt vēl kaut ko, lai gan kursa darbs tūliņ, tūliņ būs jāiesniedz,
bibliotēka nez kāpēc liek man justies gudrākai, spējīgākai, produktīvākai un visādi citādi labākam cilvēkam.
un tagad jābrauc parunāties ar sievieti, kura caur kaut kādu citu cilvēku piedāvā man rakstīt kaut kāda cilvēka autobiogrāfiju (lai gan, ja jāraksta ir man, vai to nesauc vienkārši par biogrāfiju? hm). es vēl nezinu, vai gribu to darīt, kā arī var jau gadīties, ka viņa izdomā, ka es neesmu pietiekami kvalificēta, bet, ffs, tas ir piedzīvojums!!! yeah.