Hello Ibadan, a US Judge born in your city just made history

An Ibadan born Judge has prevented US president, Donald Trump, from enforcing new rules with respect to Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act--otherwise called Obamacare.

If Trump had had his way, any employer would have been able to claim a religious or moral objection to Obama’s birth control mandate.

However, Judge Wendy Beetlestone ruled that the Commonwealth will suffer “irreparable and serious harm” from Trump’s proposal.

Trump made a campaign pledge to roll backObama era policies.

Historic ruling

In her 44 page opinion, Beetlestone wrote that “the Commonwealth’s concern is absent available cost-effective contraception, women will either forgo contraception entirely or choose cheaper but less effective methods — individual choices which will result in an increase in unintended pregnancies.

"That in turn will inflict economic harm on the Commonwealth because unintended pregnancies are more likely to impose additional costs on Pennsylvania’s state-funded health programs.”

Commenting on the ruling, Pennsylvania’s Attorney General Josh Shapiro said; "Donald Trump broke the law to undermine women’s health, and women here in Pennsylvania stood up and proved that in court. Together we’ve won a nationwide halt to these rules, protecting women across the country”.

Ibadan connection

Well, we’ve just learnt that the historic Pennsylvania ruling was issued by a judge who was born in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria.

Charlotte Clymer who is a US based writer tweeted the following: “Which federal judge just blocked Trump's repeal of the Obama birth control mandate? The Honorable Wendy Beetlestone, appointed by President Obama, graduate of Liverpool University and Penn Law, and born in.... Ibadan, Nigeria. That, my friends, is poetic justice”.

Beetlestone was born in 1961.

On June 16, 2014, President Obama nominated Beetlestone to serve as a United States District Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

On Thursday, November 20, 2014, the US Senate confirmed Beetlestone through a voice vote.

Ibadan folks get a lot of bad rap on social media for being poor cousins of their more sophisticated Lagos peers. Maybe not anymore?

ALSO READ:

Well, dear Ibadan folks, you may have been slandered on social media for all the wrong reasons (bants), but for once, you have a right to hold your head up high and carry that shoulder, yeah?