Medical privacy rights

As part of our basic rights to privacy, it is legally and commonly accepted that medical privacy is among the more important aspect of these rights. This usually comes up with regard to unfair discrimination. For years, anyone with a medical condition that involved a need for a wheelchair or a metal implant has been targeted by airport security (both pre- and post-TSA) because they set off metal detectors. For that reason, there have been some who have proclaimed the scanners as a positive because they could instead go through the scanner and be on their way.

However, the scanners still violate their right to privacy about their own medical condition. It just seems less personal, but there is someone who can now see under your clothes to see what sort of frailty you may suffer from. If it is something that appears as an anomaly - like a mastectomy or back brace - then you have to undergo further scrutiny in the form of a pat-down. The man interviewed in this article is a little embarrassed about his need for a back brace and prefers to keep that information to himself. Isn't that his right?