Sentence Hinges on Whether 28-Week Fetus is a Person

Clinton Township, MI — A Macomb County judge said Wednesday he needs time to consider key medical questions and delayed the sentencing of a man accused in a 2014 drunken driving accident involving a pregnant Clinton Township whose injuries included a miscarriage.

Macomb County Circuit Judge Edward Servitto moved the sentencing of Christopher Albright, 23, to July 20 so he can get expert opinions on the questions of whether a 28-week-old fetus is a viable human being and how a person with diabetes is affected by alcohol, the Detroit Free Press.

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Defense attorney Mark Awada argued that sentencing guidelines treat the fetus as a victim or a person, which could send Albright to prison for anywhere from 36 to 61 months.

Albright uses insulin to control his diabetes, and Servitto said information about how alcohol affects a person with diabetes is “certainly an integral part of the facts.”

“Every diabetic in the world would want to know if they consume alcohol and have an accident causing serious injury, with or without death, they face a far more serious penalty,” Servitto said. “I would like to know.”

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