Genetic counseling and prenatal diagnosis: a multicultural perspective

More and more women are using prenatal tests to obtain specific information on the health of the developing fetus. The objective of genetic counseling is not to decrease the occurrence of genetic disease, it is to help individuals and families adjust to their genetic risks and make their own decisions in line with their reproductive goals and world views. Choices made by parent(s) will reflect their own intrapsychic processes as well as their own cultural and social understanding of genetic risk and disease. As prenatal testing continues to diagnose an ever growing number of genetic disorders, genetic counseling faces greater and greater challenges. Now more than ever before, genetic counseling must incorporate both psychological counseling and multiculturalism in order to serve diverse individuals and families at risk for genetic disease.