Governor Jerry Brown made California the fourth state in the US on Monday to allow physician assisted dying. Yes, only the fourth, and it's disappointing that the numbers (or the lack of) overshadow the real achievement.





Everyone has the right to live, and everyone should have the right to die. Of course life is sacred, but the opponents of this law must not seriously think that California's true intentions are to have a genocide. They simply just want to help those people who have no hope of a cure, and are suffering. That's it, there is no story here,





Everyone is allowed to make their decisions about their life and body. If you can go and get an abortion from a professional, you should also be able to go to your doctor to die. They are there to help you and to lessen your pain. In any way possible.





Of course we support that background checks must take place, and several doctors (including psychologists) should sign off before you are allowed to die. You shouldn't be able to just walk in from the street and kill yourself because you had a bad day or you are under the influence of some substance. It must be a complex process.





Although if you really want to do it and commit suicide, you can do it practically anywhere and through any method. You don't need a physician to help you out. We don't support suicide and don't want anyone to do it, but we don't think it's wrong and if someone really wants to do it, you have got to let them. It's their decision only.





And many people do choose suicide, but some don't want to be remembered as one who did. This is only one of the several advantages of this law. Brittany Maynard famously used it too last year. Her official cause of death on all documents was brain tumor, but she was assisted by a physician. She had inoperable brain cancer, and she and her family together made the conscious decision to end her life earlier, so that everyone remembered her vibrant side. Sadly she had to move to Oregon to do it. Now California finally caught up too.





It seems as if the right to die would be common sense. Sadly it is not. Various religious groups and political movements heavily oppose it because no one should be killed. We agree, but if they want too, they should be able too.





Jerry Brown too had to listen to lobbyists for months and had a very hard decision to make. The public is very divided too, but in the end he signed off on it due to the fact that he too would like to have this option when it will come to that, and he doesn't want to take it away from anyone.





And once again California might be the tipping point. Even though it is more liberal than the the rest of the country, many states often follow California's lead in controversial issues. If the most populous state does it, then it is ok for others to do it as well. The Church was the main opponent, but if Brown, who studied to be a priest, was able to evolve, the church might do it too.





It is the right thing to do. And not everyone has to do it, in fact very few people actually do it. In Oregon the law has been in place for more than 15 years, yet less than a 1,500 used it.





We don't wish anyone to have to decide their fate like this, but it must be nice to have options when you are in this tragic situation.

This is an original material of Finchley 1959.