Barbara Coombs Lee, PA, FNP, JD, (born 1947) is an American activist and president of Compassion & Choices,[1] a national 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 becoming an attorney and devoting her professional life to individual choice and empowerment in health care. During two statewide campaigns she served as Chief Petitioner of the Oregon Death with Dignity Act. [2]
Barbara Coombs Lee has appeared on NBC News, CNN Crossfire, 60 Minutes, McNeil Lehrer News Hour, NPR, The Today Show, and Bill Moyers' "On Death and Dying." She has also testified before state legislatures and the U.S. Congress.