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Profound stories of third-trimester abortion care, told by an ob-gyn hailed as “a hero of the abortion field” (Diana Greene Foster, author of The Turnaway Study)
A compassionate perspective on late-term abortion that challenges preconceived notions of who gets abortions and why
Within both the anti-abortion and pro-choice movements, third-trimester abortion is often stigmatized and misunderstood. For 20 years, Dr. Shelley Sella saw patients whose diverse backgrounds and circumstances led them to the same difficult decision: to end their pregnancies.
Now, interweaving her own journey as a provider, Dr. Sella invites readers into a typical week at her clinic to demystify the experience. She shares the stories of people like
- Clarissa, a mother of 2 whose third suffered a massive stroke in utero with no chance of recovery
- Mary, a devoted Catholic whose fourth round of IVF offered a late-in-life chance at motherhood, only to be dashed by anomalous test results
- Laura, a mother to 4 already whose bruised arms tell a painful story, one she couldn’t bring herself to write a fifth child into
Beyond Limits is not just a testament to a standard of care grounded in competence, compassion, and sensitivity. It is also a call for a paradigm shift that moves beyond Dobbs, beyond Roe, beyond limits to provide care. And it is a tribute to the real people whose hearts, reasons, and stories are more complex than politicized conversations about abortion lead us to believe.
“Sella does a stellar job of straightforwardly and compassionately explaining why third-trimester abortions happen . . . This bursts with insight.”
—Publishers Weekly
“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 care with the patience and love Dr. Sella leads with.”
—Renee Bracey Sherman, founder of We Testify and coauthor 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
“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 judgment 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
“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, author of Critical Race Theory: A Primer