Death, like other taboo topics (politics, religion, sex), is avoided by a great deal of people all across the world.

Society views death as unpleasant and unsettling.@@when in reality, death is rainbows and happiness@@ No one wishes to think about it as it makes us come to terms with our own mortality. The realization that this life is finite and impermanent brings feelings of fear and uncertainty that many do not want to dwell on.

For the most part, this feeling is justified. No one is thrilled at the prospect of losing a loved one or having to die themselves and leave everything behind. This is probably truest for young, healthy people (read: students) that have so much life left to live and so much to accomplish.

Unfortunately, it won’t always be this way.

If you happen to be reading this than I have some obvious but bad news — you’re going to die.@@damn, I don’t even get the chance to pass this message on to 5 friends so reading this won’t kill me?@@ Just as the sun will rise in the East and set in the West, all of us will cease to exist at some point in the future.

Pretty sobering, right?

Last month, one of the first doctors to champion the “right to die” used the law he fought for to end his own life.

Dr. Peter Goodwin, a doctor in South Africa and Washington before coming to Oregon,@@http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/health/2012/03/13/dr-peter-goodwin-father-of-oregon-suicide-law-takes-own-life/@@ was already familiar with the suffering that end-of-life patients face.

In 1972, a man diagnosed with cancer came to him, begging for Goodwin to let him die. At first, he refused, but he ultimately gave the man Nembutal @@http://www.letsconnect.com.au/euthanasia-advocates-to-import-nembutal-r501.htm@@after getting to know the man and his family.

Two weeks later, he used it. It was at that moment Goodwin realized, “the fact that my profession was so inept at the care of the dying.” @@http://www.religionnews.com/ethics/death-and-dying/doctor-who-championed-death-with-dignity-dies-at-83@@Shortly after, he moved to Portland and joined the Oregon Health and Science University.@@http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/@@

There, he become the voice for Death with Dignity Act@@http://public.health.oregon.gov/ProviderPartnerResources/EvaluationResearch/DeathwithDignityAct/Pages/index.aspx@@, which allows the terminally ill to be given a prescription for lethal drugs so they may decide when and where they want to die.

Oregon voters had the good sense to pass the act in 1994 and to not repeal it in 1997, @@http://euthanasia.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001289@@thus allowing for Goodwin and 596 others (according to the 2011 Death with Dignity Act annual report)@@I did math http://public.health.oregon.gov/ProviderPartnerResources/EvaluationResearch/DeathwithDignityAct/Pages/index.aspx@@ to forgo unnecessary pain to themselves and burdens to their families and make their exit on their own terms with poise and grace.

For a majority of Americans, however, this isn’t the case. Currently, only in three states is assisted suicide legal: Oregon, Washington and Montana (yes, Montana).@@Why is Montana surprising? http://www.enotes.com/soc/discuss/euthanasia-currently-illegal-does-this-compro-115832@@

Despite being upheld as constitutional by the Supreme Court in 2006 (Gonzales v. Oregon)@@http://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/04-623.ZS.html@@, there remains little progress on the issue. Even in Europe, long thought to be on the forefront of human rights issues, is sorely lacking in support with Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Switzerland being the only countries where the practice isn’t forbidden expressly or otherwise.

A recent documentary, “How to Die in Oregon,” @@http://www.howtodieinoregon.com/@@recounts how our northern neighbors passed their own Death with Dignity Act in 2008.@@http://www.doh.wa.gov/dwda/@@

Nancy Niedzielski’s husband, Randy, was diagnosed with brain and spinal cord cancer@@http://patientchoices.org/front-page/nancy-niedzielski-comes-to-vt/@@ in 2000. At that time, they knew that this was a death sentence.@@http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/science/1269/death_with_dignity%3A_combatting_religious_opposition_to_physician-assisted_suicide@@

When the cancer came back in 2005, he refused to go through the hell of radiation and chemotherapy again.

Because there was no Death with Dignity law in Washington, Randy had to die a slow and agonizing death.

Thankfully, other afflicted Washingtonians like Randy won’t have to suffer as he did.

There are many people the audience is introduced to along the film’s journey each with their own unique circumstance and outlook on life and death.

Fittingly, the movie begins with Robert Sagner’s story as the 343rd person to use the Death with Dignity Act@@http://cltampa.com/tampa/life-and-death-in-oregon/Content?oid=2823408@@. In obvious pain and discomfort, Robert is asked two questions by a volunteer that prepared him and will hand him the medicine, “You have the right to change your mind, OK?” and, “What will this medicine do?”

After replying that he wasn’t “going to change his damn mind,” Roger somberly answers the second question, “It will kill me and make me happy.”

For some of the people who choose to use this law, it is to avoid the unbearable pain that many illnesses cause. For a majority of others it is to take back control and autonomy after an illness has robbed them of it.

Cody Curtis reflects on this notion after surgery to remove cancer from her liver caused her to fall into a coma and she wasn’t able to fully take care of herself for six months. She laments how awful it was to lose the ability to care of herself and she didn’t want to have to go through it again.@@http://www.salon.com/2011/05/25/how_to_die_in_oregon/@@

She wanted to die with dignity and no bureaucracy, government or religious leader had the right to deny her, her right to leave on her on accord.

“I grew up in the country … we put down our dogs and horses, we didn’t let them suffer,” she said as her eyes began to well.

Cody — like Roger — chose to die with dignity surrounded by the people she loved. Is there really any better way to leave this world?