Woman banned from visiting friend in state prison after body scanner misidentified medical device as contraband

A Webster woman, Mary Kay Hargather, said she was suspended from visiting a friend in state prison after a body scanner showed a mass in her chest and a sergeant accused her of smuggling drugs. She said she told corrections staff the scan likely reflected a metal plate related to breast cancer treatment, but the accusation and suspension proceeded. The report also describes Susan Fowler being denied entry to visit her son after a scan showed a mass near her pelvis; she said she provided a doctor’s note for surgical mesh but still received a one-year suspension. The story cites a January report by the New York Civil Liberties Union stating body scanners have mistaken tampons, contraceptives, and medical devices for drugs, leading to women being barred from visits, and it notes a separate lawsuit in Albany County involving a benign tumor mistaken for drugs.

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Source: News10NBC (WHEC)