Being pregnant – your rights
Ajaaja Henriksen · 22. august 2025 · 2 min read
Being pregnant and giving birth is a life-changing experience. The journey can be filled with joy, anticipation and hope – but also uncertainty and a lot of questions. That is why it is important to know your rights as a pregnant and birthing woman in the Danish healthcare system.
Your pregnancy – what are you offered?
During pregnancy you are entitled to be followed both by your own doctor and by a midwife attached to your place of birth. You are offered a scan in the first and second trimester, but further scans are only offered if there are particular reasons for following you more closely.
As a starting point you have free choice of hospital, which means you can choose where you wish to give birth. The Health Act ensures that the region provides a midwife who can be present and assist you throughout a home birth.
Informed consent – offers, choices and influence
When you become pregnant, you encounter a range of examinations, check-ups and offers from the healthcare system. It is important to remember that they are precisely that – offers. As a pregnant woman you always have the right to say yes or no, and you have the right to proper information before making your choices.
You can decline a treatment at any time, even when it is professionally recommended. The right to decide over your own body applies all the way through pregnancy and birth.
Confidentiality
All health professionals are bound by confidentiality. This means they may not pass on information about you, your pregnancy or your treatment to others without your consent. This applies to family, friends, employers and authorities alike.
Confidentiality is there to ensure that you can safely share personal and sensitive information with health professionals without worrying that it will be passed on.
Complaints and compensation
If you experience errors, poor treatment or breaches of your patient rights, you have the right to complain. Complaints about clinical treatment are submitted to the Danish Agency for Patient Complaints at stpk.dk
If you have suffered an injury as a result of treatment, you can also seek compensation through the Patient Compensation Association at patienterstatningen.dk
Be aware that there may be deadlines for when a complaint or claim must be submitted. It is therefore important to act in good time if you wish to complain or seek compensation.