A total of 287 people in New Jersey have ended their life through the Aid-in-Dying law, since it took effect in 2019, new state data shows.

Of that total, 101 deaths were in 2023, the last year data is publicly available.

The law, which allows doctors to provide lethal drugs to terminally ill patients at their request, faced heavy opposition from various groups, including Agudath Israel, as well as multiple legal challenges before ultimately becoming law in August 2019.

Also referred to as the “assisted suicide law,” it has long been a hot-button topic in the health care world, with advocates arguing that it gives patients more autonomy in their end of life decisions, while critics say that such laws allow vulnerable patients to be manipulated into being killed, as well as creating serious ethical dilemmas.

A terminally ill patient must have a prognosis of six months or less to live to request and be prescribed medication under the bill. In addition, the disease must be incurable, irreversible and medically confirmed.

The bill also has a minimum 15-day waiting period though several legislators have introduced a bill to shorten that to 48 hours.

Nine other states have aid in dying laws: Oregon, Washington, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Montana, New Mexico and Vermont, plus Washington D.C. Neighboring Delaware has similar legislation sitting on the governor’s desk.