State’s Attorney Burke established the Choice Protection Unit (CPU), a highly trained team prepared to prosecute crimes and litigate civil actions that result from attempts to thwart access to reproductive healthcare in Cook County. As the first of its kind standalone unit in any prosecutor’s office nationwide, the CPU provides timely legal intervention, education, training, and advocacy, ensuring that Cook County remains a safe environment where women can receive the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare services. Prosecutors, victim/witness specialists, investigators, and other staff from every division of the CCSAO work collaboratively to handle cases where criminal acts are committed to impede abortion access in Cook County, target medical providers, and/or threaten or harm patients seeking care.
Chief goals of the CPU include:
- Successfully prosecute criminal acts that are used to interfere with the right to choose or access to reproductive healthcare services, sending a strong message of deterrence.
- Ensure that healthcare providers and patients seeking care are protected from violations of their privacy that could lead to targeting for criminal and civil litigation in other jurisdictions.
- Continuously monitor developments in reproductive healthcare law and policy at both state and federal levels to ensure strategies remain current and impactful.
Members of the CPU volunteered to be selected for the specialized unit and will participate in trainings, collaborate with local health care clinics and establish direct communication channels with advocacy organization and stakeholders at the forefront of this issue.
Led by one of the CCSAO’s most experienced felony trial prosecutors, the CPU serves as a legal bulwark against intimidation tactics in Cook County, while also studying and staying on top of activities and trends in this emerging area of jurisprudence.