Latinas, amniocentesis and the discourse of choice

Little attention has been paid to the impact of the increasingly routine us e of fetal diagnosis on how U.S. minority women experience their pregnancie s and decide whether to have their fetuses tested. Using narrative analysis , we offer the account of one Latina who, despite considerable turmoil, ult imately accepted an offer of amniocentesis. We describe her reasoning in ch oosing a course of action. Data from interviews with 147 Latinas who were f aced with the same decision are used to contextualize the case study materi al. We seek to illuminate how a blending of Mexican and European American c ultural influences helped shape the woman's experience and define the dilem ma she faced when she learned her fetus might be born with a grave or incur able condition because she was ideologically opposed to abortion.