Beyond Limits, Shelley Sella, MD
Beyond Limits, Shelley Sella, MD
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Beyond Limits
Stories of Third-Trimester Abortion Care

Author: Shelley Sella, MD

Narrator: Samara Naeymi

Unabridged: 6 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/03/2025


Synopsis

"Beyond Limits is moving, personal, insightful, and powerfully written. 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

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 recoveryMary, a devoted Catholic whose fourth round of IVF offered a late-in-life chance at motherhood, only to be dashed by anomalous test resultsLaura, 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.

About The Author

Shelley Sella, MD is a board-certified ob-gyn and the first woman to openly practice third-trimester abortion care in the US, which she did for 20 years. She was prominently featured in the Emmy Award–winning documentary After Tiller. 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 is retired from clinical practice and now focuses on advocacy.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Lydia on September 20, 2025

This was a wonderful book. Dr. Sella seems like a kind and empathetic doctor providing care to women who desperately need it. I needed no convincing on this subject. I used to be very anti abortion when I was young, but once I went to medical school it took observing exactly one abortion to complete......more

Goodreads review by Stephanie on July 27, 2025

So much to learn from this book. Dr. Sella provides a glimpse of weeks work by highlighting 6 patient's abortion stories. She alternates chapters with a high level memoir of her life and career. This account is full of straightforward facts surrounding abortion. Must read for anyone.......more

Goodreads review by Mariana on June 28, 2025

Que livro magnífico 💛 fez me chorar, fez me rir. Fez-me querer ter mais voz sobre os direitos das mulheres que estão sempre, sempre a ser colocados em causa e a ser perdidos. É um livro sobre verdades e factos, diferentes realidades e falta de acesso ao sistema de saúde. Sobre governos que não quere......more

Goodreads review by Barbara on June 22, 2025

Dr. Sella is a board certified Ob-Gynecologist who gradually came to realize her calling as a provider for problematic third trimester abortions. She relates tales of women who came to clinics where she gave care, not just abortions, to women whose lives were upended by unexpected pregnancies which......more

Goodreads review by Jessica on September 20, 2025

Such an Important Book I am so grateful Dr. Sella wrote and published this book, and even more grateful for her sacred work in abortion care, particular third-trimester abortion care. As someone who chose an abortion at 26 weeks due to non-fatal, but serious, fetal abnormalities I felt seen and under......more


Quotes

“Sella does a stellar job of straightforwardly and compassionately explaining why third-trimester abortions happen . . . This bursts with insight.”
Publishers Weekly

“Moving, personal, insightful . . . Long considered a hero of the abortion field, Dr. Sella gives us an eye-opening account. This book helps us to see people who seek abortions with clarity and compassion, as people in the real world.”
—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.”
—Professor Khiara M. Bridges, UC Berkeley School of Law

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. . . . 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 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.”
—Reverend Amy Johnson, minister for Sexuality Education and Justice, United Church of Christ