TSA: Don't Force Me Through Scanners!
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Sponsor: The Diabetes Site
Insulin pumps shouldn't go through scanners or x-ray machines. We MUST retain the right to opt-out!
An estimated 350,000 people in the United States use insulin pumps. These lifesaving devices replace the need for frequent injections by delivering insulin through the pump. It works 24-hours, 7-days-a-week to keep glucose levels under control.
Insulin pumps are effectively part of the body of a person with diabetes. People sleep with them and exercise with them. There are waterproof models that allow for swimming and bathing without disconnecting the device. So, of course, people will travel with the pumps as well, but a recent Transportation Security Administration (TSA) procedure change is making that needlessly complicated.
Previously any passenger for any reason was allowed to request a pat-down search at security checkpoints. Many people with insulin pumps have opted for this choice, as the devices should not go through x-ray machines and research on the safety of the new AIT scanners is inconclusive. But now, TSA officers have the right to deny pat-down requests "if warranted by security considerations." Refusal to go through a scanner allows the TSA to prevent passengers from boarding their flights.
Only a tiny fraction of the 318 million Americans wear insulin pumps, and far fewer take a plane on any given day. The combination of the relative rarity of an insulin pump with the TSA's abysmal turnover rate, 7 or 8% among full-time officers and 20% among part-time, means that many agents may not have encountered an insulin pump before.
And now the TSA's new policy allows them to force people with pumps through potentially harmful scanners.
When the memo detailing the policy change was released, it gave no reason for the TSA's shift in protocol. The TSA said in a statement that most passengers won't be affected by the change: "This will occur in a very limited number of circumstances where enhanced screening is required."
But insulin pump wearers ARE affected. And we have a right to keep our equipment safe from ignorant TSA officers who might deny us a pat-down.
Tell the TSA Administrator to reinstate the opt-out option so diabetics with insulin pumps can travel safely while protecting their life-saving equipment.
The Petition:
To TSA Administrator David Pekoske,
I am writing to express my concern and disagreement with your recent policy change which allows TSA officers to deny pat-down requests at checkpoints "if warranted by security considerations."
The TSA's statement that, "this will occur in a very limited number of circumstances where enhanced screening is required," shows a lack of empathy and awareness of the diversity of the traveling public, especially those who rely upon delicate medical devices to survive.
Only a tiny fraction of the 318 million Americans wear insulin pumps, and far fewer take a plane on any given day. The combination of the relative rarity of an insulin pump with the TSA's abysmal turnover rate, 7 or 8% among full-time officers and 20% among part-time, means that many agents may not have encountered an insulin pump before.
In the past, any passenger for any reason was allowed to request a pat-down search at security checkpoints. Many people with insulin pumps have opted for this choice, as the devices should not go through x-ray machines and research on the safety of the new AIT scanners is inconclusive. This is a perfectly legitimate reason to refuse to go through a scanner, but your new policy takes away our rights to be assured a pat-down. Refusal to go through a scanner allows the TSA to prevent passengers from boarding their flights.
Must we choose between our lives and the freedom to fly?
Please, reverse your stance on the opt-out protocols so diabetics with insulin pumps can travel safely while protecting their life-saving equipment.
Thank you,
