Hey, Cancer Patient, The TSA Wants To Palpate Your Mastectomy Scars
Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting. Breast cancer patient Lori Dorn asks on her blog about the TSA agent asking to grope her breasts, "At what point does the need for security eclipse human dignity and compassion?"
I explained to the agent that I was a breast cancer patient and had a bilateral mastectomy in April and had tissue expanders put in to make way for reconstruction at a later date.I told her that I was not comfortable with having my breasts touched and that I had a card in my wallet that explains the type of expanders, serial numbers and my doctor's information (pictured) and asked to retrieve it. This request was denied. Instead, she called over a female supervisor who told me the exam had to take place. I was again told that I could not retrieve the card and needed to submit to a physical exam in order to be cleared. She then said, "And if we don't clear you, you don't fly" loud enough for other passengers to hear. And they did. And they stared at the bald woman being yelled at by a TSA Supervisor.
To my further dismay, my belongings, including my computer, were completely out of sight. I had no choice but to allow an agent to touch my breasts in front of other passengers.
It is my opinion that the way they separate you from your stuff is yet another way to punish anyone who opts for the pat-down and is a way for the agents to exert power over passengers. It's absolutely disgusting.
In New Orleans, when I complained that my stuff was just sitting out there, including my laptop, I was told they had no personnel to watch it, but that there were "security" cameras in case my computer was taken. (I'm sure that's been very comforting to those who've had stuff stolen from the TSA checkpoints.)
By the way, I'm still working on placing my op-ed about our civil liberties and my own abuse at the hands of a TSA agent.
Via Lisa Simeone
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