Last week’s episode features Dr. Shelley Sella, the first women abortion provider who openly provided care in all trimesters. She was trained by Dr. George Tiller, who was assassinated in his church almost 17 years ago in May of 2009. Shelley wrote a book last year called Beyond Limits: Stories of Third Trimester Abortion Care. Her book opens your mind and heart to the stories of those patients who are seeking care later in pregnancy. Beyond Limits is out in paperback on May 26th.
Shelley is currently touring across the US, speaking to groups of medical students about her life and her work. We were very fortunate that she spent some time with us in the studio while she was visiting Duke. You may have seen her name in the news when one of her campus visits was canceled due to pressure from anti-abortion groups.
Shelley’s work is inspiring and I highly recommend her book, where she shares more about her trajectory to providing care. She also talks about what it was like to train and work with Dr. Tiller, whose motto was “Trust women.” Read more about him here.
We talk with Shelley about many topics including her book, training, Dr. Tiller, exceptions and more. When talking about exceptions, she spoke about how she was able to provide care without judgement. In states with exceptions, or bans on care, patients often fall under a hierarchy of desperation. When we lift exceptions we not longer require patients to reach the most desperate situation to receive care.
Like my dad says, if this interview doesn’t ring your bell, your clapper must be broke. We have some more great interviews coming up this season. If you have an idea for an episode or a topic we haven’t covered yet that you think is important, email us here: [email protected]
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