The Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion (WCLA), also known as Choice Matters, is an activist group which promotes removing restrictions on abortion and opposes the pro-life movement. The group also supports the 1973 Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade, which treats abortion as a matter of personal privacy and limits the government’s ability to restrict the practice. Choice Matters frames abortion as an issue of a woman’s choice rather than of human life and argues that allowing abortion “can be good for families and society as a whole.” Furthermore, the group claims that only children who are “wanted” by their parents should be born. ^{1 2}

Choice Matters primarily focuses on identifying and mobilizing voters who support abortion, informing them about candidates on their ballot who support abortion themselves and have received the group’s endorsement. Choice Matters engages with these voters through its two political action committees (PACs): ProChoice Voter and WCLA PAC. The group and its PACs send out newsletters and use phone banking to inform their supporters about pro-abortion candidates who are selected based on their past voting record and on their answers to interview questions from Choice Matters. ³

Abortion Facilitation

While Choice Matters does not provide abortion services itself, it directs women considering abortions to a list of services which includes the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the largest abortion provider in the United States and another leading proponent of eliminating restrictions on abortion. The group also directs underage women to a list of parental consent and notification laws by state which is compiled by the Guttmacher Institute, a leading pro-abortion policy research organization. ^{4 5}

Choice Matters uses a resource from Planned Parenthood to describe what happens during an abortion. The group also insists that “there is no such thing as a partial birth abortion” while also claiming that the procedure is sometimes “medically necessary” and that an abortion performed at twelve weeks is still “early.” Choice Matters dismisses opponents of partial birth abortions on the basis that most of them are opposed to abortion in general. ⁶

Policy Promotion

Choice Matters and its PACs fight efforts to restrict abortion and target pro-life legislators, often making dramatic claims about their opponents. In New Hampshire, the group has campaigned against House Bill 1181, which would give men the possibility of legal recourse in the event that a woman wanted to abort their child. Choice Matters has framed the issue as “Men. Owning. Women.” and claims that if passed, the law would “legalize slavery” by allowing men to “quite literally … hold a woman hostage for the length of her pregnancy.” ^{7 8}

The Choice Matters affiliate WCLA PAC has also aggressively targeted pro-life lawmakers. In October 2021, the group labeled Christine Sculti, a Republican candidate for the position of Westchester County, New York executive, an “anti-choice extremist.” WCLA also attacked Westchester County legislature candidate James Nolan, also a Republican, for his pro-life stance, as well as for allegedly having chosen not to get a COVID-19 vaccine. ⁹

Leadership

Catherine Lederer-Plaskett is the president of Choice Matters. In November 2020, the publication City & State included her on a list of the 100 most influential political leaders in Westchester, New York. ¹⁰

Financials

In 2019, Choice Matters raised approximately $92,000 in total revenue – a decline from the years 2016 to 2018, when annual revenue fluctuated between $121,000 and $138,000. Choice Matters president Catherine Lederer-Plaskett earned more than $84,000 in 2018, but the following year, the group allotted less than $25,000 to executive compensation. ¹¹

1. “Why We Fight.” Choice Matters. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://choicematters.org/about/
2. Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion – Choice Matters Inc. ProPublica. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133577595
3. “Why We Fight.” Choice Matters. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://choicematters.org/about/
4. “FAQs.” Choice Matters. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://choicematters.org/faqs/
5. “Need Help?” Choice Matters. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://choicematters.org/if-you-need-help/
6. “FAQs.” Choice Matters. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://choicematters.org/faqs/
7. “NH HB1181.” LegiScan. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://legiscan.com/NH/bill/HB1181/2022
8. “Men. Owning. Women.” Choice Matters. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://choicematters.org/2022/01/20/men-owning-women/
9. WCLA PAC. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://wclapac.org/
10. “WCLA’s Catherine Lederer-Plaskett Named One of Westchester Power 100.” WCLA PAC. November 13, 2020. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://wclapac.org/category/news/
11. Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion – Choice Matters Inc. ProPublica. Accessed March 6, 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133577595