Overkill? Justified?

We go to Shriners in Salt Lake for Brody's surgeries on his hands and arms. In order to avoid the 13 hour drive, we fly there.

I just read that, when we fly out of the Salt Lake airport April 25, we will be subject to a comprehensive body scanning security device. In a closed-door room about 100 yards away, a computerized image of the person appears on a screen, and a Transportation Security officer looks for items that would be unusual for a traveler to possess. The TSA officers have wireless devices to communicate with each other about whether it's necessary to hold a traveler back in order to check their right back pocket, for example.

Salt Lake City is one of six cities in the United States — including Tulsa, Okla.; Albuquerque; San Francisco; Las Vegas and Miami — in a pilot program using the units. The federal government will analyze passenger data after six months and determine whether to put more units in more airports.

At this point, it's voluntary, not mandatory. Nevertheless, the American Civil Liberties Union wonders whether travelers who volunteer for the body scan really understand what they're consenting to. According to the ACLU, the body scanning technology could project images that shows evidence of mastectomies, colostomy appliances, penile implants, catheter tubes and the size of breasts or genitals.

Of course, no cameras or cell phones are allowed in the viewing room, and the TSA says that there is no way to save the images.

I recognize the value of detecting ceramic or plastic explosive devices, I do.

It's just that it seems incredibly invasive. See for yourself:

Once you're done doing this:

This is what the TSA sees:

As a mother to a son who has a unique medical conditions, I'm going to avoid this scan. As a woman, I'm going to avoid this scan because it's invasive and just plain creepy. I know my husband would probably love to do this scan, but only if he could also see what he looks like (and the traveler will not be able to see his own image).

So, would you submit to this kind of scan, in place of regular old metal detectors? Or should this kind of screening be used in place of a body cavity search, only when there is probable cause for such searches?