I urge my fellow citizens to oppose the "health care reform" bills which were recently proposed known as the "Tri-Committee Bill" and the very similar bill proposed by Sen. Ted Kennedy.

These bills will definitely result in: mandatory insurance coverage of elective abortion, a great expansion of abortion clinics and federal subsidies for abortion.

I further urge you to oppose any health-care bill unless abortion is explicitly excluded from the possibility of any federal mandates, subsidies or health insurance plans.

Please call your congressman, Rep. Tim Johnson, (202) 225-2371; and your senators, Sen. Richard Durbin, (202) 224-2152, and Sen. Roland Burns, (202) 224-2854, as soon as possible.

First, abortion is not health care. Secondly, the large majority of Americans do not want their tax dollars to pay for this extremely controversial procedure.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sue Martensen

Loda