Page 6-Thursday; July 13, 1978-The Michigan Daily POPULAR ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES WASHI traceptivi and amor and Druj promoting pregnancy The onl control pil ENCAR vesces in cent to 98 foams and how caref The con maceutica label that pregnancy per 100 w said the unreliable The age tors, pha 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. .l il1LA4la Liz "LakA 11LAAL l IIL.GAI Lll Yl vlc.aalvllala p .~ ., ..,.. ., . , .,. . ..., r.. J , .,.. .. 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.