Romney testy about contraception hypothetical at GOP debate

News outlets covered tonight's debate at St. Anselm College, three days before the New Hampshire primary.  In the first of 2 debates over 12 hours, the health law, Medicare or Medicaid were not discussed.

USA Today: The Republicans in New Hampshire 
Mitt Romney -- asked if states have the right to ban contraceptives -- says he can't imagine any state doing that, and calling the question "silly" (Jackson, 1/7).

The Washington Post: 2012 New Hampshire Primary Debate Liveblog
[D]espite repeated questions from George Stephanopoulos, Mitt Romney is careful not to get drawn into a debate over whether contraception should be illegal (Sonmez, 1/7).

Politico: Romney Swats At Contraception Question
Romney ended up responding on Roe v. Wade, saying it should be overturned, and then said, "Contraception? It's doing just fine. Leave it alone." (Haberman, 1/7).

The New York Times: Fact Check: Romney on Contraception and Personhood
What Mr. Stephanopoulos was trying to get Mr. Romney to respond to was the so-called "personhood" movement that seeks to legally define life as beginning at the moment of conception. It implies that certain common methods of contraception that stop implantation of a fertilized embryo, like birth control pills, would be illegal. ... Mr. Gingrich, Mr. Perry and Mr. Santorum have signed a pledge written by Personhood USA to support giving legal rights to embryos, but Mr. Romney has not (Gabriel, 1/7).

Earlier in the day, stories focused on the ongoing campaigns.

Los Angeles Times: New Hampshire Voters Are No Pushovers
Consider the cranky New Hampshire voter. ... Here the obdurate electorate skips the niceties and gets right to the point. ...  A woman asked Romney why he opposes President Obama's healthcare plan when he instituted a similar overhaul in Massachusetts (Abcarian, 1/7).

The New York Times: Santorum Looks to South Carolina in G.O.P. Fight
"Fees went up, taxes went up, spending went up" under Mr. Romney, Mr. Santorum said in Amherst [N.H.]. "We saw Romneycare be instituted, which was the template for Obamacare." He then asked, incredulously, "That's the reality of the candidate that we want to put up? As a contrast?" (Sheer and Seelye, 1/7).