Lori Dorn, Breast Cancer Survivor, Forced To Undergo Invasive TSA Pat Down Despite Identification Card

Medical ID cards exist for a reason. So instances like this don't happen.

Lori Dorn, wife of Laughing Squid blogger Scott Beale, found herself humiliated before boarding her Virgin America flight to San Francisco from New York's JFK airport on Friday, after a TSA agent refused to look at her ID card. Dorn, a breast cancer survivor, currently has an implanted tissue expander that is known to be a problem for airport scanners.

But the identification card is intended to prevent situations like what happened. Dorn detailed the experience on her blog:

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.

With her possessions out of sight the agent proceeded to pat her down, obviously finding nothing suspicious. Prior to the incident Dorn had been subjected to a full body scan, which evidently prompted the pat down.

Afterward, she took to Twitter with her complaint, as well as her blog (you can read her full post here).

Lori Dorn's Tweet following the incident:

@HRLori
Lori Dorn An @TSABlogTeam agent didn't believe I had implants due to breast cancer and insisted on feeling me up. Insensitive and power hungry, fab.
Sep 29 via Twitter for iPhoneFavoriteRetweetReply

The TSA did respond via Twitter, saying that if she sent more information, they would look into it. Despite a prompt response from the TSA after the fact, the incident has prompted renewed conversation about the methods of airport security agents.

This is far from the first time something like this has happened. In late August, Thomas Sawyer, another cancer survivor was soaked in his own urine after TSA agents gave him an equally invasive pat down. In June, an elderly cancer patient was humiliated when an agent forced her to remove her adult diaper before boarding a flight.

Comments

[Ossit]

03:12 PM on 10/06/2011

gbrooks, it's a great excuse not to do anything about the TSA. They're a federal organization? So what! We can sue anyone we want to if we find the right people and using the federal organization excuse is another word for we're going to be complacent and let them do whatever they want. Kids ARE being molested by TSA. I'd never let my kid be felt up when it serves no purpose other than fear mongering. No American kid ever bombed a plane so they shouldn't be felt up. No 92-year-old mother and grandmother ever bombed a plane so they don't deserve being felt up. But again, people are complacent about it and accept it in public, but go home around the dinner table and complain about it. Oh and about that federal nonsense you mentioned about TSA? It sure didn't stop people threatening last year to boycott flying did it. But they all changed their minds because they wanted Thanksgiving food.They didn't care about federal nothing. They chickened out!

[thereisonlyoneparty]

10:54 AM on 10/05/2011

This is a no win situation.

If TSA does pat downs, it is doing too much.   If it does not do them, then it is not doing enough to keep people safe.

People need to take an honest look at security and what they expect.  No one wants to do that.   "TSA is evil," they yell right before crying "the government is not doing enough to keep people safe from the bogedyman of terrorism!"

[HarmNone]

11:08 AM on 10/04/2011

cigray
0 Fans
Have you ever been patted down? I doubt it. If you had you'd know there's nothing sexual about it. .Of course if that really makes you feel threatened¬. You could always stay home & hide in your closet (SNARK).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

F.e.a.r is not what keeps me and so many others out of the airports, it's the loss of civil rights for all Americans. This country has over-reacted to a comparatively small threat. In consideration of the money spent per person, TSA would have to catch at least 4 criminals A DAY to warrant the money spent (of course they haven't caught 4 in 10 years!!). These scanners are also not well regulated or monitored for their radiation output presenting a danger not only to the one being scanned, but anyone in close proximity. There have been reports of increased cancers in TSA agents - you know how to search, look it up! Those of us choosing not to fly and standing for the civil rights of everyone aren't the ones acting out of f.e.a.r, it's the ones who insist on bypassing hard won civil rights and freedoms just because of a couple of bad guys with box cutters who are afraid. With your attitude, it must be unbearable to drive a car since the fatality rate is enormously higher and TSA isn't there to hold your hand (or anything else).

[AZreb]

08:37 AM on 10/04/2011

The beat (beast) of TSA goes on. Have any of these "officers" been fired?

[HarmNone]

10:47 AM on 10/04/2011

A few. Some due to dealings with drugs, some for abuse charges in their private lives, and, of course, for theft. If you search TSA + arrests, you'll find more than you want to see. Also, calling them officers is a bit of a misnomer, recently learned that TSA does not have legal jurisdictional authority within any airport - if they want someone arrested they need to call local law enforcement to do the job.

[northbronx]

03:25 PM on 10/03/2011

If the TSA would hire above the least common denominator and provide decent training, this sort of thing might be less common. It's too much to ask them to treat the traveling public with dignity; give up on that dream. And in terms of actually improving airline security, they need to start screening cargo at least half as well as they now screen passengers.

[azsavage]

12:02 PM on 10/03/2011

We are a country that jumps on the smallest mistake made by security demanding resignations and change while at the same time demanding that security is less intrusive and more considerate of persons trying to get on planes.

Consider the headlines if the TSA would have let this woman get on a plane that she brought down with items she hid during the search. TSA would say "she had a card.." or "we didn't want to embarrass the woman with a search.." and the head hunting would start immediately. There would be calls for resignations up and down the chain-of-command. Republicans would demand the President be held accountable.

The alternate solution would be to profile. You think that the questions are easy or common, think again. You are asked what religion you are then the name of your church, pastor, the bible verse you were confirmed and if you don't go to church even more questions come out. Then come questions about your work, family, purpose of travel, who you plan to meet, what you are going to do, where you will stay---- plan on hours. In the end based on your "cooperation" you will be allowed to fly.

[Astraea Muse]

01:22 PM on 10/03/2011

How about actually taking people who ask out of the view of all the passengers, with all their stuff? Would that be just too much to ask? Look, I don't think old people, or sick people, need a security pass so they are not looked at. I do think people should be treated with respect. Had the TSA acknowledged this woman's medical situation, apologized for the necessity of a pat-down, and let her have her belongings during it, she would have had a very different, and much more positive, response.

[Macawmom]

06:09 PM on 10/03/2011

I've always been asked if I wanted a pat-down in private, and I've always been told to keep my eyes on my stuff. Maybe it's the airports I fly through, but I haven't run into these types of TSA agents, and I fly a lot.

[thereisonlyoneparty]

10:58 AM on 10/05/2011

Yea, verily.

People want security theatre to "keep them safe," but they do not want it to affect their travel.

People suck.  One cannot call for all this useless security for everyone else while wanting nothing for him- or herself.

[SuperMatt]

11:30 AM on 10/03/2011

TSA isn't keeping anybody safe. If somebody wanted to commit a terrorist attack, the best place to kill lots of people would be in the long lines waiting to get checked. Even going into the White House, they do not do invasive pat-downs. If you are still registering metal on your person, they get out the wand and see where it is, then use logic to figure out if it's contraband or not, and let you in. There is no need to grope anybody.

[Macawmom]

06:11 PM on 10/03/2011

Problem isn't metal, it's non-metallic explosives and weapons. You can kill someone with a pencil (fortunately they haven't realized that).

[Dennis7450]

11:10 AM on 10/03/2011

Like most police officers, TSA agents are not properly trained. And power by its very nature invites abuse. It takes an exceptional human being not to abuse power, and we see it abused every day by our cops, by TSA agents, by governments officials, etc. I am convinced that Obama extended the Patriot Act because he did not want to relinquish power. Once you give an official of any rank, from the lowest to the highest, a power, any power, they are loathe to let it go.

[Terry Bilheimer]

05:18 PM on 10/03/2011

I am convinced that there's a bridge I can sell you.

[fred governo]

09:40 AM on 10/03/2011

Hello - My name is Fred Governo and I totally empathise with your situation at the airport security point.

Unfortunately in life you give some people a little bit of 'power' and a uniform and they go mad with it. The problem is they are 'agents' and as soon as you delegate another layer of management into a process that are not actually directly employed within the main body of the organisation then you loose full control and so incidents like this happen when small minded individuals get carried away with themselves. If it's a small consolation these types of incidents happen all the time involving these idiots. And as long as they are employed by agencies it will continue to happen as the complaints/disciplinary procedures are long and protracted and when the pressure is on they ALWAYS hide behind the 'national security' angle!

[pepper1311]

08:14 AM on 10/03/2011

What if a man had seeds implanted in the prostate? What an exam..

[Lisa Ann DeFrancesco]

06:01 AM on 10/03/2011

I would have had that medical card in my hand with my boarding pass so that there wasn't an option of them refusing to see it. May not have fixed it in the end, but at least the agents could never deny seeing that information prior to extra gropping. Such crap.

[earthandwater]

11:54 AM on 10/03/2011

I have a medical card showing that I have an artificial knee. I've had it since 1999. Not once has an agent looked at it. I always have it out with my boarding pass and no one has looked at it. I still go through the magnetrometer, set off the alarm and then have to be wanded. The last couple times I didn't even bother taking the card out. At one airport there was no female agent nearby and I had to wait as my belongings got farther from me and about to go out of sight. I asked for permission to get my things and was denied. I asked if they'd at least grab my bag and they would not. I felt that anybody could have taken my pocketbook and all the money in it. Finally, a female agent appeared and I asked her to get my things, which she did. My ID is similar to a credit card. It would seem pretty unlikely that it would be forged but it's not acceptable in any city in this country.

[MRB55]

04:39 AM on 10/03/2011

Bombs in a tit?!? Godless terrorists! There should be a run on applicants for airport security. But seriously, fire the guy already!

[timmcveighjr]

02:41 AM on 10/03/2011

got fear?

[HarmNone]

12:28 AM on 10/03/2011

cigray
0 Fans
12 hours ago (11:59 AM)
The last I check sex offenders could hold jobs. It's a security check with other people present. Not babysittin­g children
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Now, don't we all feel safer (snark), this poster says it's okay for a convicted sex offender to touch you or anyone in your family just because someone else is watching!

[cigray]

07:09 PM on 10/03/2011

Have you ever been patted down? I doubt it. If you had you'd know there's nothing sexual about it. .Of course if that really makes you feel threatened. You could always stay home & hide in your closet (SNARK).

[globalguy]

06:56 PM on 10/02/2011

I feel so much safer with those TSA heroes protecting me!

It's so good to see our tax dollars at work!