Beyond Limits
In Beyond Limits, Dr. Shelley Sella—an OB-GYN and the first woman to openly provide third-trimester abortion care in the United States—offers a unique and timely view of the segment of abortion care that is the most vilified, stigmatized, and misunderstood. Drawing on her 20 years of experience as a provider, Dr. Sella shares deeply intimate, profoundly human stories of third-trimester abortion, interweaving her patients’ experiences with her own personal and professional journey, revealing why she dedicated her life to this work.
Dr. Sella brings the reader into a typical week at the clinic as she cares for patients seeking care for a range of reasons, including a late diagnosis of a fetal anomaly, domestic violence, and a recurrence of cancer. She describes the realities of her patients’ lives, the barriers they encounter when trying to access care, and the decision-making processes they navigate, giving readers a view of the complex and nuanced situations these patients face. Since Roe was overturned in 2022, twenty-two states have either banned or severely restricted abortion, creating delays for those seeking care. As a result, patients who could have been seen earlier, face the necessity of an abortion later in pregnancy. And they deserve competent and compassionate care.
The stories in Beyond Limits challenge readers to reexamine preconceived notions of gestational limits and viability. By moving away from political rhetoric, Dr. Sella aims to change the narrative of abortion care later in pregnancy to one that reflects the reality of people’s lives. She invites readers to delve into their own assumptions and judgments and evokes deep understanding for real people whose hearts, reasons and stories are more complex than those weaponized in conversations about abortion.
Reviews
“Through heartbreaking stories culled from Dr. Shelley Sella’s remarkable career as an abortion provider to all who need care, Beyond Limits reminds us that when we leave third trimester abortions on the floor of political compromise, we abandon some of the most vulnerable among us. This beautiful, devastating book may do what seems impossible in our viciously divided country: it just may change a few minds.”
Khiara M. Bridges, Professor of Law, UC Berkeley School of Law
“Beyond Limits is moving, personal, insightful and powerfully written. Long considered a hero of the abortion field, Dr. Sella gives us an eye-opening account of being one of the few providers to offer abortions in the third trimester of pregnancy. This book shares her thoughts and emotions as she recorded them during almost two decades of providing abortions. Her sincerity and calm devotion to women’s bodily and life autonomy are clear. This book reveals how her own personal experiences and her years working with Dr. Tiller before his assassination shaped her philosophy of respecting the judgement and choices of pregnant people. This book helps us to see people who seek abortions with clarity and compassion, as people in the real world, rather than as the objects of an abstract moral or political debate.”
Diana Greene Foster, author of The Turnaway Study
“Beyond Limits is an important addition to the literature on abortion and reproductive justice. Interweaving the real stories of the people whose abortions she performed with her own personal history, Shelley Sella has written a narrative that is emotionally powerful, intimate and engaging.”
Laura Kaplan author of The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service
“In Beyond Limits, Dr. Shelley Sella gives an intimate and unflinching look into her life as a third-trimester abortion provider for two decades—from her own experiences leading her to become a staunch defender of bodily autonomy for all to her vision for abortion care in this country. Grounded in the experiences of third-trimester abortion patients, Beyond Limits is a steadfast account of a week at a later abortion clinic and a clear-throated argument for why it is key to ensuring reproductive justice for us all. Dr. Sella's care and patience shines through the recounting of her own life and the stories of all who entered her exam rooms. People who have and provide later abortion procedures are some of the most misunderstood and lied about people in the abortion conversation, but Beyond Limits provides a precise and prophetic argument for why we must all shift our understanding about later abortion—and show up for those who need the care with the patience and love Dr. Sella leads with.”
Renee Bracey Sherman, founder of We Testify & co-author of LIBERATING ABORTION: Claiming Our History, Sharing Our Stories, and Building the Reproductive Future We Deserve
“At a time when abortion, and especially third-trimester abortion is being weaponized against pregnant people and providers, Dr Sella’s book provides much-needed information to help us understand the nuances and deeply personal nature of these decisions. Recognizing these complexities informs our ability to advocate for justice and dignity for people who are pregnant.”
Rev. Amy Johnson, Minister for Sexuality Education & Justice for the United Church of Christ
Pre-Order
Beyond Limits can be pre-ordered from the following websites:
About the Author
Dr. Shelley Sella is a board-certified OB-GYN and the first woman to openly practice third-trimester abortion care in the U.S., which she did for 20 years. She began focusing her medical practice exclusively on abortion care in 2000. In 2010, Dr. Sella, along with Dr. Susan Robinson, set up a third-trimester abortion practice at Southwestern Women’s Options in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she served as the medical director. She retired in December 2021.
Dr. Sella served two terms on the board of the National Abortion Federation and in 2022 was awarded its highest honor, the Christopher Tietze Humanitarian Award. She was prominently featured in the Emmy award-winning documentary After Tiller. This film, which premiered at the Sundance Film festival, focuses on the four remaining physicians, including Dr. Sella who continued to provide third-trimester care in the aftermath of Dr. Tiller’s death. Her compassion towards her patients and explanation of the complexity of this segment of abortion care, particularly resonated with the viewing audience. She has co-authored articles on third-trimester abortion care that have appeared in a number of top medical journals. She contributed to the book Abortion Care as Moral Work: Ethical Considerations of Maternal and Fetal Bodies, edited by Johanna Schoen and published by Rutgers University Press in 2022.
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