av mirssan Daily
Eighty-Six Years of Editorial Freedom
420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Choosing alternatives
to
the
pill
Saturday, April 10, 1976
News Phone: 764-0552
Edited and-managed by students at the University of Michigan
By WARREN E. LEARY
RECENT REPORTS of new
dangers linked to birth con-
trol pills have caused concern
among women and prompted a
few of them to switch to other
means of contraception, doctors
say. But the pill remains the
most popular method by far of
preventing pregnancy.
"There may be a little switch-
ing, but it is not marked," said
Dr. Robert E. Rogers, a gyne-
cologist and professor at Indiana
University Medical School in In-
dianapolis. "The pill is still their
first choice and is likely to re-
main so for some time."
Interviews with 20 doctors, in-
cluding gynecologists and ob-
stetricians, and other experts on
contraception reveal that wom-
en are asking more questions
about the pill and showing more,
interest in daphragms and con-
doms.
Some doctors said the increas-
ed availability of abortion had
made women more willing to
risk pregnancy and therefore
more willing to switch from the
pill, which has the lowest fail-
ure rate of any contraceptive.
THERE ARE NO statistics
available on how many women
use each type of contraception.
The Food and Drug Administra-
tion estimates, however, that 10
million women - a little more
than 10 per cent of the coun-
try's total female population -
take birth control pills while
about 3.2 million use IUDs; in-
trauterine devices.
In recent weeks, studies in
Kentucky and California tied the
pills to dramatically increased
risk of liver tumors - some
malignant - in one-time users.
At the same time, three major
drug companies, at the FDA's
request, agreed to stop making
secuential oral contraceptives
which were linked to increased
risk of cancer of the uterus
lining andablood clotting. The
FDA estimated that sequential
nills were used by 5 to 10 per
cent of the women taking oral
contraceptives.
Doctors and others say public-
itv about the pill has a small
imoact on its use.
"THE PILL HAS had a high
use when it was invented and
remains high," said Robin El-
liott, director of information and
education for the Planned Par-
enthood Federation of America.
Elliott said that pills have ac-
counted for between 75 and 80
per cent of the contraceptives
dispensed by Planned Parent-
hood in the last five years.
"There appear to be small
variations whenever a sidy ef-
fect gets publicity," he said, ad-
ding that women now are show-
ing increased interest in dia-
phragms.
"In calling around to centers,
I find there is a distinguishable,
but slight trend upward for the
diaphragm, particularly among
younger, more educated wom-
en ... If asked why, I'd prob-
ably have to say it was due
to recent disclosures about pills
and IUDs."
'Most women are ask-
ing reasonably intelli-
gent questions about
birth control, mostly
"This has changed drastical-
ly in the last 15 years, and
more so in recent years," Coch-
rane continues. "They knew
almost nothing about birth con-
trol before, but now I'd say
they're pretty well informed."
The doctors also said they
spend more time explaining
birth control. "In the past, wo-
men would ask for the pill and
I'd give it to them," said Dr.,
John Grover, a gynecologist at
Massachusetts General Hospi-
tal in Boston. "Studies that re-
vealed side effects have made
us think very carefully now
about selecting patients for the
pill. I now acquaint them with
the side effects and let them
know if the pill is for them."
Elliott said Planned Parent-
hood makes "every effort to
provide the latest information.
because
there have
effective methods are asking
for reassurance on the availa-
bility of abortion in case of
failure," he said.
Lynn Heidelberg, director of
the Feminist Women's Health
Center in Los Angeles, report-
ed increased regularity of dia-
phragms and added:'"One as-
pect of deciding is the attitude
toward abortion." Contracep-
tive manufacturers declined to
give specific production figures
and had differing views on
trends.
A SPOKESMAN FOR the
Ortho Divison of Johnson and
Johnson, a major pill manufac-
turer, said: "We can't give out
specific figures for business
reasons. But I can say we
have no statistics that would
show a trend either way about
uses of the pill."
Donald Hanlon, corporate con-
troller for Syntex Laboratories
of Palo Alto, Calif., a major
pill manufacturer, said: "Gen-
erally speaking for the oral
contraceptive industry, total
markets have been relatively
stable in the United States."
Deborah Bing, a spokesman
for Julius Schmid Laboratories,
a leading maker of diaphragms,?
IUDs and condoms, said "Con-
doms seem to be quite popular
and because of this, we've come
out with three new ones in the
last year and a half. Part of
the reason is that many states
now permit over-the-counter
sales and they are more avail-
able. Also, condoms are pro-
moted in anti-VD campaigns
because they are the only con-
traceptive effeqtive for this al-
so. There are indications that
IUDs are still more popular
than diaphragms, though sales
of both increased in the past
year. Sales of diaphragms
have increased somewhat, but
we can't be sure of the reasons
why."
Philip Frank, marketing di-
rector for Holland - Rantos Co.,
Inc., a major supplier of dia-
phragnms, said there is evidence
of "method hopping" by wo-
men. "There has been an in-1
men. "There has been an in-
creae in diaphragm sales of
perhaps 30 to 35 per cent in the
last two or three years," Frank
said. "This isn't a temporary
increase, but a growing inter-
est by the public in the dia-
phragm."
Warren Leary is a science
writer for the Associated Press.
been a lot of things
in the media about the
0
problems.
This has
changed drastic
the last 15 years
more so ini
years. They kne
most nothing
birth control
b
'2ON'Y G0 AWAY, NOW-I MAY BBACKAFTER C Ne E1'ON.
Purity: Racist catchword?
but now they're
ty well informe
TiHE NATIONAL R
System for FamilyF
Services, part of 'theT
Center for Health Statist
reported a slight trend
younger women toward
phram. Its finding is b
statistics covering betw
million and three milli
en, many of them under
many of them poor.
The system said that
73.1 per cent of the wom
received contraceptive
clinics and other outletst
chose the pill as their1
birth control method. Ju
15 per cent chose the 1
per cent picked diaph
4.3 per cent used foams
per cent condoms.
In 1974, 76.3 pertcent c
pill, 12 per cent the IUE
cent diaphragms, 4.7 p
foam and 1.3 per cent c
Preliminary figures 1
show 75.7 per cent pick
pill, 0.6 per cent the I
per cent diaphragms
per cent condoms.
SEVERAL DOCTOR;
women have become n
formed about contracep
"Most women are ask
sonably intelligent q
about birth control, mo
cause there have beenf
things in the media ab
problems," said Dr. Pau
rane of Fitchburg, Mass
.y i "FOR INSTANCE, a recent
ally in study said women over 40 had
S (and increased risk of heart attack
with the pill. Because the data
recent wasn't in, we didn't tell women
this six months ago, but we sure
ew al- do tell them now. If we didn't,
about they'd certainly ask."
Neither the American Medi-
ef ore, cal Association, the American
College of Obstetrics and Gynle-
pret- cology nor 'the Academy of
Family Physicians has guide-
lines on what doctors should
tell patients about contracep-
tion. Dr. William Barclay, sen-
ior AMA vice president, said
eporting that physicians are presumed
Planning to have sufficient knowledge to
National make their own decisions on
ics, also what to tell patients about birth
among control.
the dia- The FDA has proposed new
ased on labeling for pills and IUDs, the
een two contraceptives requiring a doc-
on wom- tor's prescription. The labeling
r 25 and would require that patients get
written information on the ef-
in 1973, fectiveness, side effects and
nen who proner use of each contracep-
s from tie.
checked "The freedom to choose a
primary contracentive is every woman's
ust over right." says FDA Commission-
UD. 3.3 er Ale-ander .M. Schmidt.
raghms. "This freedom cannot exist,
s and .8 however, unless the woman her-
self ran weigh the conrarative
hose the henefits and ricks . . . and thus
D, 3 per bnrnn-rlv informed todecide
er cent with her nhvician the best
;ondoms. choice for her."
EARLIER THIS WEEK, presidential
hopeful Jimmy Carter promised
that if elected president he would
not discourage maintaining "ethnic
purity" of "established neighbor-
hoods." Carter later apologized for
using the phrase "ethnic purity."
Two days elapsed between the state-
ment and the apology.
To quote Morris Udall, "there is no
'place in this land for thinly veiled
hints of the politics of racial divi-
sion." Apparently in an effort to keep
his broad spectrum of support, Carter
subtly lent encouragement to those
who choose to keep neighborhoods
racially segregated. His choice of
words conjures up memories of the
ideology that has found voice in
George Wallace, Orville Faubus and
other southern governors.,
In short, 'ethnic purity' sounds
like racism.
And more important than Carter's
choice of words is the content of his
"ethnic purity" remarks. The right
of minorities to decent housing
should be a higher priority than
maintaining the racial identity of
neighborhoods. Carter should be
more concerned with the economic
disadvantages of black people-who
TODAY'S STAFF:
News: Dana Baumann, Jay Levin, Jeff
Ristine, Tim Schick, Jim Tobin
Editorial Page: Marc Basson, Stephen
Hersh, Steve Kursman, Jon Pan-
sius, Tom Stevens
Arts Page: David Blomquist
Photo Technician: Pauline Lubens
LISTEN TO WHAT INDEPENDENT
STUDIES SAY ABOUT THE IRS:
5,1
for 1975
ing the
UD, 3.4
and 1.7
tS SAID
nore in-
tion.
ing rea-
uestions
stly be-
a lot of
out the
ul Coch-
s.
QOME PATTENTS considering
,.., switching from the nill to
ls sre methods of birth con-
trol ask abolit abortion.
'Availability of abortion has
gien wrnmen the freedom of
i~nn other methods of contra-
cention and thev, ask about it,"
s-id Grover. "Them may not
UkP the hniro, bt at least
thev k-now thev hv habortion
to fall bn"k n if they don't
w.nt a child."
Tn Tndiaunnols, R o g e r s
agreed. "Patients going to less
The Lighter Si de:
3,Selling the candidates:
Carter with fluoristan
Dick West
WASHINGTON (UPI) - The Washington Press Club's pro-
gram this week featured a panel discussion on "Selling Presiden-
tial Candidates on TV."
I wasn't there, so I don't know what techniques the panel
members recommended. But several possibilities spring to mind.
SPOT ONE: Two women, one young, the other in the wisdom
of her middle years, are pushing grocery carts through a super-
market. They meet in the canned fruit aisle.
"What's wrong, Mmmmm? You seem to dull and listless. Is
occasional irregularity getting you down?"
"No, it isn't irregularity; it's the presidential candidate I'm
backing. He doesn't make the issues sharp and clear. With my
candidate, the issues come out all fuzzy and glossed over."
The older woman smiles knowingly, reaches into her shop-
ping bag and extracts a Henry Jackson campaign button.
"HERE. TRY MINE."
"Scoop Jackson, eh? Does he explain the issues so that they
become pointed and well-defined?"
"Believe me, Marge. Switch to Jackson and you'll never again
have to worry about your candidate obscuring the issues."
SPOT TWO: A pornographic movie theater. Two bald-headed
men in raincoats in the front row stafig intently at the screen.
During a particularly passionate sequence, one man turns to
the other.
"What does your presidential candidate say about resuming
military aid to Egypt?" he asks sotto voice.
The other man looks around furtively and cups a hand to
his mouth.
"Well, my candidate is Morris Udall, and Morris Udall
says ..."
Other members of the audience immediately lose interest in
the film and lean forward to try to catch the rest of the com-
ment. Then we hear an off-camera voice.
"WHEN MORRIS UDALL speaks, people listen."
SPOT THREE: A western landscape. A lone figure walking
down a ravine. A camera zooms in and we see it is President
Ford. He unwraps a stick of gum. and puts it in his mouth.
Suddenly we hear the thunder of hoofbeats. A large herd of
bulls comes stampeding down the ravine. Ford starts to flee but
stumbles over his own feet. When the dust settles, he is nowhere
to be seen.
An off-camera voice is heard as the hoofbeats fade in the dis-
tance.
"Ronald Reagan is bullish on America."
SPOT FOUR: Meanwhile, back at the supermarket, Jimmy
Carter, who is campaigning in the shopping center, stops in for
a bag of peanuts. Several women rush over and throw their arms
around him.
Attracted by the clamor, the manager, a fussy little man,
runs up.
"LADIES, LADIES," he implores. "Please don't squeeze the
candidate."
"But, Mr. Whipple," they squeal. "His campaign promises
are so sensitive we can't resist it."
Dick West is a syndicated columnist for UPI.
Carter
Unrest plagues Asia
seem to be the object of Carter's
comment - than with neighborhood
preservation.
FACED WITH THE prospect of
"practice what you preach,"
many Northern "liberals" changed
their stance. Some of the very peo-
ple who journeyed south to march
with Sedgar Evers and Martin Luth-
er King began signing petitions
against busing. The suburbs had be-
come a dreamy escape from the
shortcomings of American society,
and the prospect of long-run reality
was very frightening.
The best alternative to busing -
one which will be more stable and
effective in the long run - is inte-
grated neighborhoods, with children
attending neighborhood schools.
THERE'S A 25% CHANCE THEY'LL
GIVE YOU THE WRONG ANSWER TO
A QUESTION..
Editor's Note: This copy was
compiled by the Pacific News
Service from files by its report-
ers throughout Asia. Inside
is a regular feature of PNS.
BATANGAS, PHILIPPINES,
(PNS) -- The killing of the son
of a leading Philippine family
here has reminded this coun-
try that relations between land-
lords and tenants are still
marked by violence, despite a
land reform law passed three
years ago.
Cicente Padilla, son of a pow-
erful former senator and a land-
lord, was pressuring his ten-
ant to accept a deal and move
off the land so he could con-
vert it to a vineyard. After the
tenant, Marcelo de Mesa, filed
a complaint in the local Court
of Agrarian Reform, he says,
Padilla stormed into his yard
firing a gun and threatening to
kill him. De Mesa and his neigh-
bors say they disarmed Padil-
la and shot him with his own
gun.
VIENTIANE, LAOS - Facing
a food shortage aggravated
when Thailand closed its bor-
der with Laos last winter, Vi-
entiane is sprouting vegetable
gardens. Tended by government
officials, school children, secre-
taries and shopowners, the gar-
dens fill every available space
-along ditches, around pago-
das, in front of government
buildings. The new govern-
ment's longrange plans for food
self sufficiency include chicken
farms, fisheries and reclama-
tion of uncultivated land.
FALDIVES - As Britain
winds up its military presence
here this month, Indian Ocean
neighbors worry that the U. S.
may take over the British air
base on Gan. The British base
has been important to the econ-
omy of this island nation, which
centers on fish and coconut. Ob-
servers believe the pressure to
find a new source of income
may have induced the govern-
ment to make a secret deal
with the U. S. allowing use of
the base at least until the larg-
er base on Diego Garcia be-
comes fully operational. A coup
last year overthrew the leftist
prime minister, who had called
for rapid dismantling of the
base.
i 1
To The Daily:-
SINCE THE BEGINNING of
the academic school year we
have been working to establish
the Sociology Undergraduate
Association. Our most funda-
mental concern has been to
generatecmore student and pro-
fessional interest in our depart-
ments undergraduate program
in a congenial way. We have
long believed that undergradu-
ates throughout the university
have suffered from a signifi-
cant lack of direction and co-
hesion, while the faculty ap-
pears apathetic in light of such
educational cancers.
One integral feature of our
activity this year has been to
administer course evaluations
in all sociology classes. Recent-
ly our organization istied a
memorto the sociology faculty
informing them of these plans.
Letters
was never our intent, this has
been acknowledged as a legiti-
mate objection. However, when
the issue is more intimately
examined we feel that such an
objection obscures a rudimen-
tary issue.
It is the foremost conviction'
of the Socialogy Undergraduate
Association that students should
play a primary role in the con-
struction and administration of
the evaluation instrument. Fur-
thermore, we strongly believe
that all data obtained from
these evaluations be made pub-
lic for inspection by students
and faculty alike. After all,
who is is that pays the salaries
of the faculty? Should we not
have a voice in the adminis-
trative policies that govern our
education, or should we say
our non-education?
FOR TOO - LONG students
have been co-opted when at-
to
The
Thercfore, we re
that next fall all un
ate (especially thes
psychology and politica
student .associations)a
uate student associatio
a full scale campaign
timize a student orien
dent conducted evalua
gram which will pern
departments of this in
It is hoped that suchz
of evaluation will h
mote and unite student
ulty concerns at thi
sity.
commend
dergradu-
sociology,
al science
Daily
ers, etc. to rank students
against other students in the
class.
AND A 70% CHANCE THEY'LL
BE WRONG WHEN PREPARING A
RETURN!
6 1
-ON
N
I
AND A 100% CHANCE THE
ERRORS WILL BE IN THEIR
FAVOR!
and grad-. Certainly a high grade should
ns launch indicate mastery of material
n to legi- and achievement of course ob-
nted, stu- jectives; when high grades are
ation pro- given without rigorous testing
meate all of whether mastery of material
nstitution. has been achieved, the grading
a method system has been abused. How-
help pro- ever, we should not allow our
t and fac- desire to make the grading sys-
s univer- tem "meaningful" to interfere
with the major objective of our
teaching - to help every stu-
dent to learn as much as he
can. If the transcript lists the
mittee, average course grade in order
rfraduate to allow the ranking, it is equiv-
alent to grading on the curve.
Such an approach eliminates
(or reduces) the possibility that
grades teacher and students work to-
gether to achievednew levels of
effectiveness and cooDerstion
Larry Wilson
Rick Adler
Steering Comm
Sociology Unde
Association
cess. If various groups in so-
ciety need people ranked, let
them administer their own tests
outside the University (e.g., as
MCAT for premeds, etc.). But
within the University, let's give
ourselves every chance to cre-
ate an ideal atmosphere for
learning. Our present. grading
system allows individual teach-
ers an dstudents the freedom to
choose a cooperative approach
to learning; we stronely oppose
any change that would tend to
force all of us to abandon such
st-Proaches in order to deal with
the very real problem of
"grade inflation." We believe
that the cause of "grade infla-
tion" is the failure to require
excellent performance for an
e'rcellent grade. The solution
therefore should be to establish
rigorous standards and stick
to them. The rank of a student
a course as wo'uld effective-
To The Daily: