Up to 20 people estimated to have taken part in NYs assisted suicide law in just one month since program took effect

Approximately 20 terminally ill patients have chosen to end their lives under New York’s controversial new assisted suicide law — in just one month since the state program went into effect, according to an expert.David Hoffman, assistant professor of professional practice in bioethics at Columbia University, estimated that 20 prescriptions for life-ending medications have been issued so far since the Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) program was enacted in August.Hoffman based his findings on conversations with doctors, hospitals and organizations he works with, like the Completed Life Initiative, which has been involved in implementing the law.“The state will have the data on a rolling basis.It’s an after-the-fact analysis,” he told The Post on Thursday.But some lawmakers who opposed the “Medical Aid in Dying Act,” which took effect August 5, are already pressing for the state Health Department to release data about program participation they argue the public has a right to know.“It is not good policy for New York to keep the public in the dark about how many people have requested and utilized assisted suicide,” upstate Republican state Assemblyman Andrew Molitor told The New York Sun, which first reported Hoffman’s estimate.“The public should be told, at a minimum, what the person’s socio-economic status is, whether they have private health insurance or Medicaid, what was the terminal condition they were diagnosed with, when the prescription was filled and where it was administered,” he said.New York became the 14th US state to legalize assisted suicide with the passage of the Medical Aid in Dying Act, which Gov.

Kathy Hochul signed into law in February.The State Assembly voted in favor of the measure 81-67 last April, and the State Senate followed suit in June, passing the bill by a narrow and highly contentious 35-27 vote.In order to be qualify, patients must be 18 or older, and have been given a terminal diagnosis with six months or ...