Amid national uproar over passenger pat-downs, an American flight attendant and cancer survivor said she was forced to remove her prosthetic breast during an airport security screening. Cathy Bossi, a flight attendant of 32 years, said that she was stopped while going through a new full-body scanner in August on her way to work at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
Ms Bossi was taken to a private screening room with two female Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents to be given an aggressive pat-down. One of the agents stopped when she came to Ms Bossi’s prosthesis. "She put her full hand on my breast and said, 'What is this?'. And I said, 'It's my prosthesis because I've had breast cancer.' And she said, 'Well, you'll need to show me that.'" Cathy was asked to show her prosthetic breast, removing it from her bra.
"I did not take the name of the person at the time because it was just so horrific of an experience, I couldn't believe someone had done that to me. I'm a flight attendant. I was just trying to get to work," she added. Ms Bossi has since tried to contact a legal team through her union. The TSA told the station its agents are not supposed to remove any prosthetics and will review the matter.
Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has issued a statement urging the TSA to ensure that passenger’s civil liberties are protected. "… the TSA's job is to keep us safe but also to give due consideration to the civil liberties implications of their procedures and policies,” the statement said. “The Government must keep us safe, but must do so with measures that are both effective and respectful of Americans' civil liberties."
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