ABSTRACT
This chapter approaches biological foundation from a genetic perspective, seeking to determine how traits or genotype (the genes that one inherits) are transmitted from parents to their children and how the mechanics of genetics enable us to better understand the biological basis that contributes to certain behaviours. Genes affect both physical and psychological characteristics and are the result of a complex interplay between nature (heredity) and nurture (environment). Fertilisation is completed when the nucleus of the head of the sperm fuses with the nucleus of the egg. After implantation, and for the first eight weeks of gestation, the zygote is referred to as an embryo. During the first 12 weeks of gestation, most of the foetus’s systems and structures begin to take shape. One of the more contentious bioethical, theological, political and legal issues is about the beginning of human life. The Islamic Organization for Medical Sciences’ (IOMS) position is that human life starts much later, namely, when the soul gets breathed into the foetus, and this takes place at earliest after 40 days of pregnancy and at latest by the lapse of 4 months. The Qur’an and Hadiths refer to human reproduction and prenatal development. The main contrasting key point between genotype and phenotype and is that genotype is inherited from an organism’s parents whereas the phenotype is not. Human beings have two versions of each gene, and these are called alleles. These alleles can be either dominant or recessive. There are several complications that may arise during pregnancy and childbirth. Teratogenic agents include infectious agents, physical agents, environmental chemicals and drugs. Socio-economic conditions, homelessness and poverty have a major impact on infant development.
