It is very sad news to announce that the great Diane Coleman [pictured here] has died. Diane founded Not Dead Yet in 1996 and was the President and CEO of Not Dead Yet until her death. The fact that other Not Dead Yet organizations world-wide were founded in conjunction with Not Dead Yet in America proves that her activities had world-wide significance.
I have always had incredible respect for Diane's direction, understanding of the issues and her leadership skills. Diane led a group of people who differed greatly and yet she effectively enabled them to work together.
Not Dead Yet, under Diane's leadership, was the most effective organization in preventing the spread of assisted suicide in America.
Diane and Stephen Drake
Diane Coleman and Stephen Drake spoke at some of the earlier EPC [Euthanasia Prevention Coalition] conferences that Not Dead Yet co-sponsored.
Not Dead Yet [was] incredibly successful during the Massachusetts assisted suicide voter initiative in 2012, Diane worked with John Kelly to establish Second Thoughts Connecticut as the disability rights voice - voting NO on question 2. This decision was a decisive factor in the defeat of the assisted suicide voter initiative in 2012.
Diane and Not Dead Yet effectively lobbied state legislators in multiple jurisdictions. Just to mention a few, Diane and Not Dead Yet lobbied politicians in New Hampshire to defeat SB 170 in 2013, she supported attempts to reverse [the] assisted suicide Baxter decision in Montana, opposed assisted suicide bills in New Jersey, [opposed an] assisted suicide court decision in New Mexico, assisted suicide bills in California, (California 2), opposing New York assisted suicide bills, and New York assisted suicide court cases, Delaware assisted suicide bills, Hawaii assisted suicide bills, Maine assisted suicide bill.
Articles and Protests Throughout America
Diane wrote articles that were published in newspapers throughout American. Here ... are links to some of those articles: (Link 1), (Link 2), (Link 3), (Link 4), (Link 5), (Link 6), (Link 7), (Link 8).
Diane and Not Dead Yet continued to organize protests. One of the more memorable protests was the one at the World Federation of Right to Die Societies Conference in Chicago in September 2014. Not Dead Yet organized an effective protest of the Me Before You disability snuff film and a protest against the Colorado assisted suicide bill.
Diane lobbied the American Medical Association to maintain its policy opposing assisted suicide. She explained to medical students why assisted suicide was wrong, she lobbied the US federal government, and provided expert analysis of assisted suicide laws in America.
Diane and Not Dead Yet were involved with the discriminatory Covid 19 rules. Links to the articles (Link 1), (Link 2).
Not Dead Yet is also a central part of the litigation to overturn the California assisted suicide law (Link).
Diane Coleman, a Hard Act to Follow
Diane Coleman was involved with much more than I have linked to in this article, but I decided to limit it for readability.
Not Dead Yet will continue to be a key group opposing assisted suicide. Diane Coleman will be a hard act to follow, but her leadership and focus enabled future generations of Not Dead Yet leaders to follow the direction that has been established.
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* Some small changes made for readability