Page 6-Thursday; July 13, 1978-The Michigan Daily
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FDA calls contraceptive 'overpromoted'
NGTON (AP) - The makers of a con- yesterday telling them that Encare Oval had been The FDA considers the birth control pill more than
e suppository popular on college campuses "overpromoted." 99 per cent effective, while intrauterine devices are
ng teen-agers were criticized by the Food THE BULLETIN said the "99 per cent efficacy 94 per cent to 99 per cent effective. But both those
g Administration (FDA) yesterday for clajms for Encare Oval have led to inflated popular methods carry more pysical risks for women than
g it as 99 per cent effective in preventing expectations for the product, and its failure rate is foams and gels.
Y. probably higher than 1 per cent." As if to underscore that point, the same FDA drug
y contraceptive that effective is the birth Encare Oval, like other foams and gels, contains bulletin revealed the agency's plans to warn women
1, the agency said. the spermicide, monoxynol-9, which can kill sperm of a new risk in using IUDs. The FDA said it
on contact. Encare Oval has been sold in Europe for will change the label on IUDs to warn users
E OVAL, a vaginal suppository that effer- six years. Distribution in the United States began last that they are three to five times more likely to
to a spermacide foam, probably is 71 per November, with one market research group develop pelvic inflammatory disease.
per cent effective, like other contraceptive estimating that over a half million American women The FDA said it was speaking out about Encare
J gels, the FDA said. The rate depends upon are using it. Oval not because it considers foams or gels a poor
ully women follow directions in using them. Under prodding from the FDA, the manufacaturer contraceptive method, but because it does not want
traceptive's maker, Norwich Eden Phar- voluntarily changed its labeling in April to drop men- "inflated popular expectations" to undermine con-
als of Norwich, N.Y., had claimed on its tion of the West German studies. fidence in them.
two studies in West Germany indicated the THE COMPANY issued a statement saying Encare FDA Commissioner Donald Kennedy said "Encare
y rate for women using Encare Oval was "i Oval, "because it is convenient and easy to use Oval appears to be especially popular on college
oman years." An FDA advisory committee properly, is a highly reliable contraceptive." campuses and among teen agers." Since one million
studies were poorly conducted and "It has been a welcome addition to the list of U.S. teen-agers become pregnant each year, it is
nonhormonal contraceptives according to responses urgent that they have "the clearest and most reliable
ncy sent a drug bulletin to one million doc- we have received from satisfied women and their information" about contraceptives sold over the
rmacists and other health professionals physicians all over the country." it said. counter like Encare Oval, he said.
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FCC: Gays not entitled to special access
WASHINGTON (AP) - Lesbians and
gay males cannot be considered a
specific minority group entitled under
communications law to special access
to radio and television time, the
Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) said yesterday.
It was not a clear-cut defeat for
homosexuals who had pressed the case
because the commission decided to
study possible language for an amen-
dment to its rules.
COMMISSION rules now list 19
categories of minorities, including
blacks, religious, agricultural, cultural,
labor, business, civic and other
organizations if they are significant in a
broadcaster's area. The National Gay
Task Force, with headquarters in New
York City, had sought to have lesbians
and gay males designated specifically
as one of these groups.
Several commission members
suggested yesterday that -where the
rules refer to "other" minorities,
language should be added saying the
rule applies where such groups are
reasonably accessible or identifiable.
The final language was not agreed
upon. The FCC staff was instructed to
confer with commission members and
others interested and come up with
draft language. It will still be subject to
procedures which call for public com-
ment and perhaps hearings.
FCC RULES require that broad-
casters ascertain the needs of their
communities and provide access to any
minority groups which are significant
in those communities.
The National Gay Task Force said in
a letter to all commission members
that an estimated 10 per cent of all
Americans are homosexual and thus
entitled to access to the airwaves. It
said there have been occasions when
such access has been denied by stations
even though it was shown that 10 per
cent of their listeners were
homosexuals. "Those who have
worried that petitions from joggers or
music lovers could come in the wake of
our inclusion have failed to understand
one simple fact," the letter said. "We
are lesbians or gay men, just as some of
us are also Catholics or farmers or
Mexican-Americans or women or
blacks. Being gay is part of our iden-
tity, not just something we do."
FCC staff members did say during
the hearing that while there has been no
formal petition, there have been letters
from organizations of thehandicapped
who suggest that perhaps they also are
entitled to specific designation as a
minority group.
CWA strike ties up
long distane ealls
ThURS4UkJ
05OA~ivance "5.50 at the doordworen 9 pm.
Ti rs AVAILABLE AT sCONDC NCE a. ERTY-Ai R, gSOR.99453 0
also
SFRI, SAT, SUN
JULY 14, 15, 16
PLUS JULY 17th . PRIZES.
(By The Associated Press)
Scattered delays in completing long-
distance telephone calls were reported
in some cities yesterday as union
workers in at least 16 states joined in
the two-day walkout by suspended
telephone workers in Nashville, Tenn.
About 4,700 members of the Com-
munications Workers of America
(CWA) were taking part in the job ac-
tion by late yesterday afternoon, said
Nina Wood, a spokesperson for
American Telephone & Telegraph Co.
in Bedminster, N.J.
COMPANY officials said no serious
problems have resulted from the
walkouts, but many did report minor
delays in completing operator-assisted
long-distance and directory calls.
In Tennessee, W. B. "Bill" Pritchett,
a division manager for South Central
Bell, said some customers making long-
distance, operator-assisted calls may
experience delays from 15 to 20 secon-
ds, an improvement over the first day
of the strike.
Mike McCorstin, an AT&T
spokesman, said few problems have
occurred because most people direct
dial their calls, which uses automated
equipment.
THE WALKOUT began Tuesday in
Nashville when nine CWA members
refused to cross a picket line set up by
18 South Central Bell Telephone Co.
employees three days earlier.
The 18 Bell employees, all long-
distance operators, were refusing over-
time requested by the company to fill in
for vacationers. Following the suspen-
sions of the CWA workers, the Bell em-.
ployees again walked out and have
remained off the job.
James Stokes, a union spokesman in
Nashville, said the walkout was
unauthorized and that the union was
urging its members to return to w>rk.
"I HAVE BEEN talking to everybody
and their brother, telling them they
couldn't win in arbitration or before a
judge,"Stokes said.
"I'm telling them they're putting
their jobs in jeopardy and that they're
without union protection."
The CWA represents about 20,000
technicians, some operators and
clerical workers.
MC CORSTIN SAID AT&T considers
the walkouts "a violation of the con-
tract between the union and the com-
pany" and said those who have been
taking part in it "may be subject to in-
dividual suspensions."
"There are established grievance
procedures to resolve differences of
this kind," McCorstin said. "Those
procedures have not been followed by
the employees involved in the
walkout."
McCorstin said negotiations were un-
der way Wednesday with individual
union locals in various cities.
By yesterday afternoon, pickets -
ranging from 10 to several hundred -
were reported in Tennessee, Mississip-
pi, North Carolina, Arkansas, Indiana,
Kentucky, Ohio, Colorado, Missouri,
Michigan, South Carolina, California,
Georgia, Texas, Massachusetts and
Wisconsin.