Final answer:
Blood type is determined by the presence of antigens on red blood cells. The Rh factor can cause hemolytic disease of the newborn when a Rh-negative mother has Rh-positive offspring, leading to the mother's immune system attacking the fetal red blood cells in subsequent pregnancies.
Step-by-step explanation:
Blood type depends upon antigens present on the surface of red blood cells. For the Rh factor's role in hemolytic disease of newborns, when a Rh-negative mother carries an Rh-positive fetus, the mother's immune system may produce antibodies against the Rh antigen during the first pregnancy. These anti-Rh antibodies can cross the placenta. In a subsequent pregnancy with an Rh-positive fetus, these antibodies may attack the fetal red blood cells, leading to hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN) or erythroblastosis fetalis.
This condition causes the destruction of fetal red blood cells and can lead to serious health problems for the newborn, including anemia, jaundice, organ enlargement, and heart failure. Hemolytic disease of the newborn, however, can be prevented with the administration of Rho(D) immune globulin to the mother during and following her first pregnancy.