A spontaneous decision to quietly protest by hanging bras outside of the Cabinet building has been well received, organisers have said. The demonstration against legislation that would bring in new clinical guidelines for the mammogram breast cancer detection procedure is set for 6pm today.

“My mom is a breast cancer survivor — she would not be here without mammography,” organiser Rachael Burrows said. “She was diagnosed about 15 years ago and had to fight her way through hell.”

The policy change, which would reduce the frequency with which Government’s insurance would cover mammograms, would not affect women such as Ms Burrows because of her family history.

“I feel incensed that people are saying you can just pay a nominal fee and get the scan if you want it,” she said.

“For some people that could be their grocery money for the week. Only lower income people who have the lowest insurance plans are having this option taken away from them. It seems grossly unfair to me.”

The idea for the protest, “Bras for a Cause”, came two nights ago from a friend, Kimberley Hines, she said. Fellow organiser Coral Welles is also a breast cancer survivor.

“It’s a very emotional subject. Everybody I have spoken to is against this policy change,” she said, adding that the protest was not political. “We don’t want to make it a One Bermuda Alliance or a Progressive Labour Party thing.”

She e-mailed her concerns to Jeanne Atherden, the Minister of Health, but had not expected to receive a reply.

“I would assume that she’s receiving a lot of e-mails,” Ms Burrows said, disputing Ms Atherden’s assertion that the guidelines to be adopted from the US were not purely motivated by cost savings, since the minister had earlier told MPs that mammograms added up to 30 per cent of the Island’s diagnostic imaging costs.

Ms Burrows said two businesses had joined tonight’s cause — Secrets Boutique will collect bras from those who cannot attend, while Bistro at the Beach is offering a free cocktail to those hanging a bra.