I'm very sorry for your friend. Amnio is a very risky procedure, they essentially put a needle (like a needle, you know it must have some fancy medical name) into the uterine wall to draw out a bit of the amniotic fluid which is what they test. So, it is invasive and risky. I hope it is not routine for women over 40, but it may well be.
Even if it is routine, a woman can ALWAYS refuse.