Roughly 20 “patients” have reportedly been put to death ever since a new assisted-suicide law went into effect in New York.

Launched on Aug. 5, the new Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) law allows terminally ill adults with a short prognosis of six months or less to receive medical assistance in killing themselves. The assistance comes in the form of certain prescription medications that “peacefully” kill humans.

The program was launched thanks to an executive order signed by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in February:

JUST IN – New York Governor Kathy Hochul signs Medical Aid in Dying Act, making New York the 13th state in the U.S. to authorize human euthanasia for terminally ill adults, effective August 5 — CBS pic.twitter.com/9flMl1aGLw

— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) February 6, 2026

The only catch to the program is that the terminally ill adult “must be able to self-administer the medication through a conscious and voluntary act of ingestion or absorption through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract,” according to a guide put together by the Compassion & Choices nonprofit.

Speaking with the New York Sun, Columbia University Professor David Hoffman estimated that “about 20 cases, all terminal” have been processed since Aug. 5, meaning roughly 20 people have been put to death.

Hoffman added that he was able to provide an estimate because his company, the Completed Life Initiative, “has been providing technical and clinical assistance with the implementation of the law.”

But the question remains: why won’t the state publicly release data on how many people have used the program? Part of the reason is a stipulation in the law only requiring the state to produce an annual report.

“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,” New York Assemblyman Andrew Molitor told the Sun.

“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 added.

New York state Sen. George Borrello also raised concerns about the annual report.

“There is no reason New Yorkers should have to wait until the first annual report to receive basic information about how many prescriptions have been issued and how the law is being utilized,” he said.

Borrello is especially worried this program, which for now only covers the terminally ill, will quickly be expanded as has happened in Canada and other leftist nations.

“When Canada first legalized this practice, it was limited to people who were approaching the end of life,” he said. “In 2021, the law was expanded to include some people with serious illnesses and disabilities who are not dying.”

“Now, Canada has approved another expansion that would allow people to qualify based solely on mental illness, scheduled to take effect in 2027,” he continued.

He was correct. In fact, some advocacy groups in Canada have even been calling for minors to have access to the program:

CORRECTION:

Deleted previous post relating to MAiD and children and teens. MAiD for mental illness in Canada begins in 2027 and it appears advocacy groups are promoting mature minor accessibility in line with this policy change. We cannot take our eyes off this. https://t.co/unP7kb2qM9

— Kris Eriksen (@KEriksenV2) May 19, 2025

Meanwhile, disability rights activist Anita Cameron, who has a terminal health condition, slammed the law for essentially directing people onto a path of death instead of life.

“It’s frightening that in a dark moment, I can request to die and will be helped to do so,” she told the Sun. “Making assisted suicide legal here in New York has now made it easier to kill, rather than care for those of us who already live with discrimination and injustice because when faced with the loss of access to services and supports, some may feel that they have no choice but to die.”

“I am personally affected,” she continued. “I cannot get health care or my medications, and a condition I have that was once chronic has become terminal, making me eligible for assisted suicide. I’m terrified.”