About Exit
Exit International provides information & education about practical DIY end of life choices to rational adults (aged >50 years).
Exit International was founded in 1997 by Dr Philip Nitschke.
Exit has an online supporter base of over 30,000 in countries including the Netherlands, Australia, Switzerland, UK, Ireland, US, Canada, NZ and many more.
Supported by a small staff & an active network of volunteers, Exit’s income is derived from memberships, bequests & other donations.
Exit is a public limited company which is non-profit. Exit was formerly known as the Voluntary Euthanasia Research Foundation (VERF).
Membership Profile
- The average age of Exit members is 75 years.
- The vast majority of Exit members are the well elderly.
- A significant minority of members are seriously ill.
‘At Exit, we believe that it is the fundamental human right of every adult of sound mind, to be able to plan for the end of their life in a way that is reliable, peaceful & at a time of their choosing’ – Dr Philip Nitschke
Public Meetings & Workshops
Face-2-face Public Meetings and Workshops resumed post Covid in late 2022. For more information visit the Workshops page on this site.
Books
The premier book on practical end of life choices is The Peaceful Pill eHandbook – Essentials Edition & the print Peaceful Pill Handbook.
See: www.peacefulpillhandbook.com for more information.
Online Webinars & Snippets
During the pandemic, a series of 10 Online Snippets were held in lieu of live, face-2-face workshops.
Snippet recordings are available free for members or on subscription for Peaceful Pill eHandbook subscribers.
Face-2-face workshops returned late 2022 – 2023.
Regular online webinars will return in the 2nd half of 2023.
Local Chapters
Local Chapters operate at the grass-roots level where they provide a regular meeting point for members to come together and discuss their thoughts and ideas, make new friends and stay on top of the latest information.
Since the pandemic, chapter meetings are held both online and face-to-face.
Coffee & Chats
A subset of Chapter activities, Exit coffee and chat groups are small local groups of members who meet privately in members’ homes for friendship, support and information.
Since the pandemic, ‘coffee & chats’ are held both online and face-to-face.
Peaceful Pill Online Forums
The Peaceful Pill forums are an online community of Exit Members/ Subscribers of The Peaceful Pill eHandbook. from all over the world.
Research & Development
Exit undertakes an active program of R&D across a range of end of life issues. The results are published in The Peaceful Pill eHandbook.
The current chief R&D Project involves the 3D printed Sarco Euthanasia Capsule.
Political Advocacy
Since 1997, Philip Nitschke has fought tirelessly for voluntary euthanasia law reform and has stood for Parliament in Australia on several occasions where he was a co-founder of the Voluntary Euthanasia Party of Australia.
Director, Tom Curran, is spear-heading the introduction of right to die law reform in Ireland.
Director, Sean Davison, has been instrumental in placing assisted dying on the political map in New Zealand and South Africa.
Exit Switzerland
Exit offers a range of assistance programs for people wishing to travel to Switzerland for an assisted death, including help with the application process and identification.
Publications
Exit Internationalist Email Newsletter
We publish a weekly Email with all the news & views of Exit’s activities & broader issues.
Deliverance Newsletter
We also publish a print newsletter – Deliverance – Archive editions are on the Exit website.
Peaceful Pill eHandbook – Essentials Edition 2022
The continually updated Peaceful Pill eHandbook is published by Exit International in the US/ Netherlands.
Peaceful Pill Handbook – Essentials & Amazon Editions
Order the Essentials Peaceful Pill Handbook in Print Format
An 18+ general readership edition of the Peaceful Pill Handbook is available from Amazon.com
Other Books
Killing Me Softly: Voluntary Euthanasia and the Road to the Peaceful Pill (Penguin)
Damned If I Do: Autobiography of Philip Nitschke (Melbourne University Press)
Conferences & Social Events
Exit International will be holding a pop-up conference in Europe immediate following the first use of the Sarco in 2023. Watch this space.
Exit hosted the NuTech2020.com conference fully online. The recording is available.
Exit founder, Dr Philip Nitschke
Do you need help?
If you feel that you are in need of emotional/ psychological help, please use the phone numbers listed below:
Netherlands: 0800 0113
UK Samaritans: 116 123
USA: National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1 800 273 8255
Australia Lifeline: 13 11 14
NZ Suicide Prevention: 0508 828 865
Canada Crisis Services: 1 833 456 4566
NOSP Ireland: 016352139