MSFC chapters around the country have been working with Dr. Shelley Sella, a retired abortion provider, to host book talks on her book, Beyond Limits: Stories of Third-Trimester Abortion Care. Between December 2025 and May 2026, our chapters have collaborated with Dr. Sella on 22 events in 17 states, with more than 460 students from over 25 chapters in attendance. Keep reading to learn more about how these events impacted medical students across the country.
If you are interested in connecting with Dr. Sella, please reach out to students@msfc.org for more info!
“Several students asked me to pass along their thanks for hosting Dr. Sella and shared how meaningful the opportunity was. As medical students training in a state where abortion is heavily restricted, we especially appreciated the opportunity to learn from a physician with decades of experience in the field and to ask questions in an open and educational setting.”
“We were fortunate to have Dr. Sella join us in Wisconsin — a state that has faced significant legal challenges surrounding abortion care — to share her experiences and insights from the front lines of reproductive medicine. The discussion was rich and wide-ranging, opening the eyes of many first and second year medical students to information and realities they had not yet encountered, while also offering third and fourth year students a space to reflect on and discuss the challenges they have already begun to face in their training. It was an absolute treasure to have Dr. Sella with us, and her words left a lasting impact on our chapter members — inspiring us to carry this knowledge forward and reaffirm our commitment to advocating for comprehensive reproductive care.”
“We had a fantastic turnout, thoughtful engagement from students, and a really meaningful discussion about third-trimester abortion care, ethics, and advocacy. Dr. Sella was incredibly generous with her time, and students especially appreciated the opportunity to ask questions and receive copies of Beyond Limits. The energy in the room was powerful, and it felt like one of those moments that truly reinforces why MSFC’s work matters.”
“Dr. Sella has such a warm and inviting presence and I think that was pivotal in creating the right environment for our discussion. We had an introduction from one of our family planning attendings that I think really helped to frame the discussion and discuss some nuances about later abortions that people may not have known about. I would say that most of the attendees had not already read her book so it was so awesome to be able to hand out signed copies at the end of the event. Overall, it was an amazing experience and we are so grateful that she could come to Portland!”
“As medical students in Louisiana, a state with a total elective abortion ban, we rarely have the opportunity to learn from providers such as Dr. Sella, and especially not in-person. We are so grateful to MSFC for facilitating this opportunity for us!”
“Dr. Sella was very generous with her time – a smaller group of us met with her prior to our evening event to grab an early dinner which was a great opportunity to have a more intimate small-group discussion. We talked about our personal beliefs and how our culture/upbringing shaped each of our individual views. It was interesting to hear Dr. Sella’s perspectives and thoughts about this topic. During the evening lecture, we had around 30 students at our medical school’s auditorium. Dr. Sella is a great speaker and engaged the audience with a mix of readings from her book and group discussions with audience questions. For many of the students, it was the first time hearing the process of third-trimester abortions being described and helped de-stigmatize what this procedure actually entails. I think these discussions were thought provoking and helpful in humanizing third-trimester abortions and reminding us this continues to be a topic of debate across the country, not just in restrictive states like Texas where we live. Dr. Sella spent a lot of time answering questions in the larger group and one-on-one while signing a copy of her book for every attendee! Everyone felt like they had time to have an individual conversation with her and we got great feedback about the event!”
“The experience was incredibly illuminating and a meaningful addition to the abortion care discussions we have hosted at PNWU this past year. The students were highly engaged and asked many thoughtful questions, leading to the event ultimately continuing for nearly an hour beyond the scheduled time. Overall, we were very happy to have Dr. Sella join us and are very grateful we had this opportunity!”
“We spoke a lot about ethics of abortion limits, about how Dr. Sella’s book helps personify these rare yet important cases, and about how women are disproportionately affected in Gaza and Palestine.”
“It was truly special having Dr. Sella here on our campus and we received a lot of great feedback from the event. We were able to have a circle talk where Dr. Sella walked us through excerpts from her book and her experience ending with students asking their questions and getting their books signed. We continued the conversation after the event as a handful of students sat with Dr. Sella in our campus cafe to discuss more. This part of the event was so candid and made it very special for all of us.”
“Many of our attendees came up to me after the event to share their appreciation for the opportunity to learn from Dr. Sella.”
“The experience was incredibly illuminating and a meaningful addition to the abortion care discussions we have hosted at PNWU this past year. The students were highly engaged and asked many thoughtful questions, leading to the event ultimately continuing for nearly an hour beyond the scheduled time. Overall, we were very happy to have Dr. Sella join us and are very grateful we had this opportunity!”
“Dr. Sella’s stories and reflections prompted students to reflect on their perceptions of and engagement with third-trimester abortion care, and we all left with tangible ways we can support patients in our future careers, regardless of our future specialty choices.”
“We were able to connect with Dr. Sella and engage in more-depth discussions about abortion care in the United States and destigmatizing third trimester abortions. More students attended than RSVP’d – they really appreciated the opportunity to meet Dr. Sella!”
“It was truly a great experience talking about abortion as a whole and our roles as future physicians to protect our patients’ right to choose.”
“We do not get the opportunity to learn about abortion or the delivery of abortion care at our school, so it was very impactful to learn from a provider who dedicated her entire career to this field.”
“Reading Beyond Limits I was struck by the deep love and devotion Dr. Sella had for her patients and their stories, a reminder of why people feel a calling towards providing abortions. The opportunity to listen to Dr. Sella speak about her journey challenging the traditions of obstetrics, navigating a hostile political landscape, and fine-tuning the most comfortable environment for her patients was highly impactful as a medical student considering how to incorporate abortion work into my career. On a human level, it was also inspirational to see how people are moved by stories, giving hope to the idea that if we lead with empathy patients will no longer need to jump through hurdles to access necessary care.”
“After reading Dr. Sella’s book, her careful, empathetic, retelling of patient’s stories, my understanding of late-term abortions has evolved from clinical to humanistic. After meeting Dr. Sella in person, my understanding of what it means to be a doctor has similarly changed. She is fearless in her approach to life and medicine, willing to set out on new paths in search of fulfilment and never shying away from fierce advocacy for her patients. I hope to be as brave one day.”
