Barbara Coombs Lee

Barbara Coombs Lee is President of Compassion & Choices, a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding and protecting the rights of the terminally ill. She practiced as a nurse and physician assistant for 25 years before beginning a career in law and health policy. Since then she has devoted her professional life to individual choice and empowerment in health care. As a private attorney, as counsel to the Oregon State Senate, as a managed care executive and finally as Chief Petitioner for Oregon’s Death with Dignity Act, she has championed initiatives that enable individuals to consider a full range of choices and be full participants in their health care decisions.

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The Right to Die: Farewell to a Friend

Posted by: | July 25th, 2012 | 1 comment

Our friend Gus Reichbach died this week. We at Compassion & Choices met him about a year ago, when he was eager to tell the story of his battle with pancreatic cancer. He had already survived more years of brutal cancer treatment than one would think possible. In spite of weakness and pain he still dressed smartly and took his place on the New York judicial bench each day. Dedicated to the justice system, he preferred to tackle the pressing matters at court than succumb to the malignancy attacking his abdomen. View Full Post