BANGOR, Maine (AP) — A federal judge in Maine exceeded sentencing guidelines in hopes that an African woman carrying the AIDS virus gives birth in federal custody.
District Judge John Woodcock said the sentence of 238 days behind bars would ensure that the baby, due on Aug. 29, has a good chance of being born free of HIV.
The Bangor Daily News says Woodcock ignored recommendations from the defense and prosecution that 28-year-old Quinta Layin Tuleh be sentenced to 114 days in prison for having fake documents.
Zachary Heiden of the Maine Civil Liberties Union says judges cannot lock up a woman “simply because she is sick and pregnant.” Tuleh is from the African nation of Cameroon.
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