It's never quite silent
It's never quite silent follows the abortion debate in Norway across more than 120 years. Through legislation, archival material and political processes, the exhibition shows how society's regulation of fertility and abortion has changed – from a matter of state concern to the right to self-determined abortion.
When abortion was not a private choice
Women of childbearing age in Norway today live in a society where the right to self-determined abortion is enshrined in law. This has not always been the case.
What if the state needed you to have children, to secure the workforce, population growth or future soldiers? What if sexuality was only legitimate within marriage, and access to contraception depended on marital status? What if a pregnancy was not a private matter, but a political question?
More than 120 years of the abortion debate
Abortion is part of people's lives. At the same time, society's regulation of fertility and abortion has changed over time. Today, women in Norway have the right to self-determined abortion up to week 18, regulated under new legislation that came into force on 1 July 2025.
The exhibition follows the abortion debate in Norway across more than 120 years and explores legislation, archival material and political processes. You will encounter periods marked by poverty and repeated pregnancies, war and occupation, when birth rates became a matter of state concern, and the post-war building of the welfare state, with new norms for family, marriage and women's lives.
At times, boundaries are challenged by new generations, by education and by international influences, and the law changes again, in step with society's needs and values.
It's never quite silent.