Boudewijn Chabot

Dignified dying is a dream for most human beings. Illnesses and fate take turns to transform dying into misery. The way out is to accept that sooner or later you will vanish from this world and to prepare oneself for dying in dignity.

This website provides access to the books, films and professional publications of Boudewijn Chabot M.D. Over the past twenty years he has devoted his life to research methods for a self-chosen and humane death for very old or very ill persons. This can only be attained with the help from relatives, friends or professionals within the boundaries set by the law. Further information about the background and career of Boudewijn Chabot can be found on our info page.

You can find information about various methods to arrange a dignified death, surrounded by family or friends, on the website Dignified dying, created by Boudewijn Chabot.

. You can find the most important publications under the section books and publications. The latest book, ‘Dignified dying; Death at your bidding’ (2015) is a very practical guide.

The website Dignifed Dying has trailers of several films on the subject under the section films. The film – ‘Eyewitnesses; personal narratives of self-chosen and humane death’ is available there as a streaming video and as a download.

About Boudewijn Chabot

Boudewijn Chabot (May 26, 1941) is a Dutch psychiatrist-psychotherapist and researcher of peaceful methods of committing suicide.

Long before the Dutch euthanasia law of 2002, he assisted in the self-chosen death of a woman who had no physical illness. The Dutch Supreme Court passed judgement in 1994: “guilty without punishment”. Since then, Chabot has devoted his professional life and research to non-doctor assisted dying that is self-chosen and dignified.

Thanks to Chabot’s Guide to Dignified Dying any layperson can take control of such an intimate process as his own death. It provides detailed information on the medication method and the use of inert gas for a self-chosen and dignified death. Chabot has published another book, ‘Taking Control of your Death by Stopping Eating and Drinking’ that discusses in detail how to make stopping eating and drinking a humane exit for very ill or very old persons. This book is based on his nationwide research that has been published in Social Science and Medicine.

Find out more

Chabot has also produced a film on the helium method and another film in which eyewitnesses of a self-chosen and humane death share their experiences. To know more about those experiences, you can order the films at DignifiedDying.nl.