Beyond Limits
Book Club Reading Guide
“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
Quick Overview
Title: Beyond Limits: Stories of Third‑Trimester Abortion Care
Author: Dr. Shelley Sella, a board‑certified OB‑GYN and the first woman to openly provide third‑trimester abortions in the U.S.
Publication: June 3, 2025
Summary: In Beyond Limits, Dr. Shelley Sella shares deeply human stories of the patients she has cared for, the moral and emotional complexity of their decisions, and her own path as a feminist midwife to a physician working at the edge of reproductive medicine. This book is both a medical memoir and a call to empathy in a time of political and cultural division.
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How does the book challenge stereotypes or assumptions about people who seek abortions later in pregnancy?
Which patient story felt most emotionally resonant, and why?
How did your assumptions or beliefs about third‑trimester abortion shift during or after reading?
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Sella aims to challenge stigma through real stories. How effective are personal stories in fostering empathy?
How do Dr. Sella’s personal experiences in her own life inform why and how she offered care?
How is stigma around later abortion addressed in the book—and in society?
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What role do race, class, and geography play in access to abortion care as described in the book?
What policies or societal norms does Dr. Sella critique? Do you agree with her critiques?
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What elements of abortion law surprise or challenge you?
How does the book address tension between potential fetal viability and maternal autonomy?
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How does the “week-in-the-clinic” structure affect pacing and emotional engagement?
In Part Two, does Sella offer concrete policy solutions or primarily ethical arguments?
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What does the book ask readers to reconsider about the narratives around abortion?
What does the book ask readers to reconsider about abortion law?
How might this book inform community discussions or advocacy work?
Discussion Questions
Additional Reading & Resources
Documentary After Tiller (2013), featuring Dr. Sella and other all trimester providers
Patient Forward’s Who Not When resource for understanding abortions later in pregnancy
Mother Jones Interview with Karen Thompson, legal director of Pregnancy Justice, exploring the implications of viability bans on pregnancy criminalization
‘What would it mean to defend all abortions?’ by Amy Littlefield for The Nation
This guide was prepared by
Patient Forward.
Send feedback to hello@patientforward.org