CATCH of Choice Matters

WCLA-Choice Matters created The Center for Analysis and Tracking of Clinic Harassers, “CATCH”, in 2022, following the violent attack on a reproductive healthcare facility in Westchester County. CATCH is a comprehensive digital system—a database resource that captures the legal tools necessary to fight all those that perpetrate human right violations against abortion providers, patients, and medical facilities. It tracks women’s health clinic invaders; is a repository of the legal tools needed to prosecute them; and is a training and support center for both law enforcement and care providers. CATCH is a powerful deterrent of crime; an essential model for ensuring the safety of our communities; and a critical public safety resource for law enforcement.

In November of 2021, at All Women’s Health & Medical Services in White Plains, NY, was invaded when two women masquerading as patients provided access to three unauthorized men. They were members of Red Rose Rescue, an extremist anti-choice group. They blocked doorways, aggressively moved past staff on the staircase leading to the waiting, examination and operating rooms, terrorized patients and staff, and shut down the facility. Some were positioned outside and physically put themselves in front of the entrance while harassing patients trying to gain access. This went on inside and out for over 2 hours before the intruders had to be carried out by the police. And unfortunately, law enforcement, through no fault of their own, were not up to date on the laws that would have allowed them to arrest and remove these terrorists more immediately, securing the safety of the clinic’s patients and staff.

In response to this invasion, CATCH was launched. CATCH’s exhaustive research enabled the successful prosecution of these repeat offenders and sentencing to the fullest extent permitted by law—for the first time anywhere in the country. CATCH further provided the documentation required to build a record for Westchester’s “Safe Clinic Access” legislation, leading to its enactment in June 2022.

The Problem

Anti-abortion terrorists and their allies are winning. They have the funding, tools and sophisticated infrastructures to destroy women’s reproductive and basic healthcare rights—and they’re succeeding. There is a rising tide of violence. Attacks on abortion clinics, patients, and providers have hit a record high. The National Abortion Federation (NAF) recorded these 2021 increases: 600% in stalking; 450% in blockades; 163% in hoax devices/suspicious packages; 129% in invasions; and 128% in assault and battery. In 2022, even as many clinics were forced to close, every form of violence increased over 2021. Providers and medical facilities have limited tools and strategies to fight back. While there are national databases that track laws and incidents, no organization is tracking anti-abortion terrorist individuals and groups, or successful legal remedies.

Our Approach

CATCH works in collaboration with law enforcement including the attorneys general and district attorney offices to ensure that those who violate the law are held criminally responsible. In exhaustive detail, CATCH records extremist tactics and analyzes who, what, where, when, how—thereby tracking the anatomy of the crime, including the opposition’s attorneys, legal strategies, verdicts, judges, sentences, and more. It can identify a legal precedent to battle roadblocks injected by the defense. It identifies everything a medical facility, law enforcement agency and/or district attorneys needs to win, prosecute, and hold criminals accountable.

Our Team

Founded in 1972, WCLA – Choice Matters (originally Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion, thus WCLA) has been fighting for reproductive justice for 51 years. Recognizing the sad fact that this fight would never be over, the women who founded WCLA – Choice Matters created an organization that continuously readjusts to take on every new attack. With the attack on All Women’s Health & Medical Services, WCLA – Choice Matters launched CATCH as the next vital effort in the war to protect abortion rights against those committed to eradicating them.

Catherine Lederer-Plaskett, President, WCLA – Choice Matters, is an internationally-recognized advocate for women’s reproductive rights. Her lifelong civil rights activism has focused on gender, race and economic disparities. As its President and Chair for two decades, Catherine has spearheaded the growth and revitalization of WCLA – Choice Matters, the oldest ongoing pro-choice advocacy organization in the nation. Key to Catherine’s work is advancing comprehensive reproductive health policies and legislation. Frequently, Catherine can be heard discussing abortion rights issues on radio and television, as well as found running educational workshops and seminars at colleges, high schools, and community centers.

Contact information

Catherine Lederer-Plaskett
ChoiceMatters@ChoiceMatters.org
914-946-5363