The outrage over the latest humiliating airport security pat-down incident is understandable, but don’t blame the screeners who searched an elderly woman.

The Transportation Security Administration stirred public wrath again last week after forcing a 95-year-old, late-stage cancer patient to remove her adult diaper.

The incident was an embarrassing indignity to the woman, who was traveling from Florida to Michigan to spend her last days with relatives. Her daughter has filed a complaint with federal officials.

But what choice did screeners have? They were doing their jobs and following security procedures. It makes more sense to blame the terrorist masterminds of the 9/11 airplane hijackings. They made it necessary to tighten airport security.

U.S. security experts say such procedures are needed to protect travelers, and polls show that most Americans support the added security.

An apparently dying woman in a wheelchair may not fit the profile of a terrorist, but imagine the repercussions had screeners let down their guard and she turned out to be just that.

Just last week, an 8-year-old girl in Afghanistan was duped by the Taliban into carrying a remote-controlled bomb to a police post. The child was killed.

By no means, however, should the TSA get a free pass. The agency has had more than its share of public-relations disasters that suggest better training is needed for screeners.

A 6-year-old girl broke down in tears during a recent pat-down that went viral on the Internet. In another incident, screeners ordered a breast-cancer survivor to remove a prosthesis.

The issue of airport security demands vigilance to keep everyone safe. Common sense and better training are the keys.