‘Recreational Sex’ And Public Funds

Republican 1st Congressional District candidate Janice ArnoldJones had blunt words about public funding for women’s birth control during a health care debate in Albuquerque this week with Democratic opponent Michelle Lujan Grisham.

“Is it my obligation to pay for your recreational sex? No, it’s not,” Arnold-Jones said, referring to a moderator’s question about whether limits should be placed on insurance coverage of women’s reproductive services, such as birth control and abortion.

About 125 people attended the forum on health care Wednesday at the First Unitarian Church of Albuquerque.

The former state representative’s remarks came after Lujan Grisham referred to birth control as a “therapeutic benefit” that employers, insurance companies or government agencies shouldn’t control.

Arnold-Jones said she was trying to express that personal responsibility should be a key component to a sustainable health care system.

—James Monteleone

BIG-NAME HELP: Republican U.S. Senate candidate Heather Wilson is planning to bring out some of her party’s big guns to pitch in for her in the contest with Democrat Martin Heinrich.

Wilson on Sept. 25 will host Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., for an Albuquerque event addressing national security, according to Wilson’s campaign. The senators also will join Wilson for a fundraiser.

“New Mexico’s Senate race could very well determine the future of this country,” McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, said in a news release.

“Heather Wilson is the only candidate New Mexicans can trust to put a stop to the reckless spending and turn this economy around. The nation is watching.”

—James Monteleone