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.
Foreword
Author’s Note
Introduction
PART ONE
CHAPTER 1
Tuesday Morning, Fetal Indications
CHAPTER 2
New York: 1960s–1970s
CHAPTER 3
Tuesday Morning, Maternal Indications
CHAPTER 4
California: 1970s–2000s
CHAPTER 5
Tuesday Afternoon
CHAPTER 6
Kansas: 2000s
CHAPTER 7
Wednesday
CHAPTER 8
The Death of Dr. George R. Tiller: May 31, 2009
CHAPTER 9
Thursday
CHAPTER 10
New Mexico: 2000s
CHAPTER 11
Friday
CHAPTER 12
Beyond Friday
PART TWO
CHAPTER 13
Fetal Indications
CHAPTER 14
Maternal Indications
CHAPTER 15
Adoption and Safe Haven Laws
CHAPTER 16
Endings
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Notes
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
“Sella does a stellar job of straightforwardly and compassionately explaining why third-trimester abortions happen . . . This bursts with insight.” —Publishers Weekly
“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
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