Debra Shigley and Jason T. Dickerson will face off in another special election on Tuesday, Sept. 23. This will be the second election the two State Senate candidates have been involved in a month. A Democrat, Shigley, has received support from the Democratic National Committee in the past, but on Saturday, Sept. 20, she got that helping hand on the ground.
Debra Shigley (center) delivers a speech at the Canton Square on Thursday, May 1, 2025 in Canton, Georgia. Shigley is running for the open seat in the Georgia State Senate, District 21. Photo by Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martic was in Alpharetta and stumped alongside Shigley and others in District 21 on Saturday. The district includes parts of Fulton County (Alpharetta) and Cherokee County (Canton), and though Shigley is popular among voters in both parts of the district (she won 62% of the Fulton County votes, for example), she has to gear up for another election. Winning this special election may not seem like a big deal on the national level, but Martin thinks otherwise. Wins are wins, he says.
“It’s important for us to realize that we make sure we get Democrats elected on all levels,” Martin told The Atlanta Voice. “That’s where the rubber hits the road.”
Martin took part in door-knocking in Alpharetta and met Shigley supporters and local voters. He told The Atlanta Voice that he came away impressed with the level of support and interest. The DNC Chair used the phrase “off the charts” to describe the energy around the Democratic candidate.
“There was a lot of excitement and energy,” Martin said. “It seems like people in this district understand what’s at stake.”
On August 26, Debra Shigley won nearly 40 percent of the vote during a special election for the District 21 State Senate seat. But that wasn’t enough to get the job done. Two of her opponents, Jason T. Dickerson, a Republican, and Steve West, also a Republican, brought home 17.36% and 17.04% of the votes, respectively.
Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens (above) is running for a second term in November. Photo by Kerri Phox/ The Atlanta Voice
There are more than a half-dozen mayoral elections taking place in majority Black cities around the country in November. Along with Atlanta, Cleveland, Detroit, and Greensboro, North Carolina are holding elections. There are also mayoral elections taking place in Seattle, Jersey City, New Jersey, Charlotte, and in Martin’s hometown, Minneapolis.
Over the past 18 months, Democrats have won or overperformed in more than 40 elections. The phrase “overperform” can be misleading, but it is seen as a sign of momentum, according to Martin.
“We really believe that when you organize everywhere, you can win anywhere,” Martin said. “We believe we have a shot at winning the election on Tuesday. We have to compete on all levels.”
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled Monday afternoon Georgia’s heartbeat law which bans abortions at six weeks of pregnancy is unconstitutional. The Georgia’s Living Infants Fairness and Equality (LIFE) Act, bans most abortions the moment “a detectable human heartbeat” is present.
Cardiac activity can be detected by ultrasound in cells within an embryo that will become the heart. That process could take place as early as six weeks into a pregnancy, before many pregnancies are detected.
Georgia is one of fourteen states where such abortion bans are enforced. As a result, abortions can resume beyond six weeks in Georgia until 22 weeks of pregnancy.
Here is a portion of McBurney’s ruling:
“While the State’s interest in protecting “unborn” life is compelling, until that life can be sustained by the State — and not solely by the woman compelled by the Act to do the State’s work — the balance of rights favors the woman.”
The Republican majority in the General Assembly passed the Living Infants and Equality (LIFE) Act in 2019. The law bans abortion in Georgia after a fetal heartbeat appears. The law included exceptions for rape, incest, and “medical emergencies,” defined as a life-threatening condition or threat of irreversible physical impairment to the mother.
Consequently, federal courts blocked the law from taking effect until 2022, after the United States Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
Georgia Democrats are celebrating the victory while preparing for the possibility McBurney’s ruling will be subject to appeal.
“Today’s decision is a critical victory for reproductive freedom in Georgia, reaffirming that politicians have no place in our personal medical decisions. While I am encouraged by this ruling, the work to restore reproductive freedom is far from over. Courts alone cannot protect our rights.
United States Representative Nikema Williams, D-Georgia, speaks during a press conference on Saturday, June 1, 2024 in Decatur, Georgia. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
We need federal protections for the right to make decisions about our bodies and futures now more than ever. I will continue fighting in Congress to ensure that everyone, no matter their zip code, has access to the full range of reproductive healthcare, including abortion.”
The reproductive rights group SisterSong filed a lawsuit challenging the law. They won an initial ruling by McBurney in November 2022 declaring the ban unconstitutional. However, the Georgia Supreme Court reversed McBurney’s decision one year later. The body sent the case back to Fulton County Superior Court, leading to Monday’s decision.
McBurney says women cannot do the State’s work
Additionally, McBurney’s order says “until that life can be sustained by the State — and not solely by the woman compelled by the Act to do the State’s work — the balance of rights favors the woman.”
Georgia State Senator Sonya Halpern, D-Atlanta, speaks inside the Georgia Senate chambers on Monday, February 26, 2024. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
“Today’s ruling is a win for women across Georgia, who once again have the right to make decisions about their own bodies,” says Georgia State Senator Sonya Halpern. “While we know this decision will likely face appeal, this moment offers hope to countless women who deserve the dignity and freedom to make their own healthcare choices. We will continue to fight to defend these rights for women across our state.”
Republicans promise to keep fighting for abortion restrictions
Governor Brian Kemp, who signed the bill into law on May 7, 2019, issued the following statement:
“Once again, the will of Georgians and their representatives have been overruled by the personal beliefs of one judge. Protecting the lives of the most vulnerable among us is one of our most sacred responsibilities, and Georgia will continue to be a place where we fight for the lives of the unborn.”
Unlike other states, Georgia does not have a mechanism allowing initiatives to appear on a ballot. As such, there are at least ten states that have the option to codify abortion access into their state’s constitution. However, Democrats have continually fought to make abortion access a central issue heading into November’s elections.
On the other hand, McBurney’s ruling also says that Georgia’s heartbeat bill induces women into a legal fight. According to his order, Georgia’s abortion ban makes women the inherent property of the State. Why? Their access to care is, “decided by majority vote.” McBurney continues, “Forcing a woman to carry an unwanted, not-yet-viable fetus to term violates her constitutional rights to liberty and privacy, even taking into consideration whatever bundle of rights the not-yet-viable fetus may have.”
A cautionary tale regarding abortion bans
Georgia’s abortion ban was held to harsh scrutiny as the story of Amber Nicole Thurman received more notoriety. Thurman, 28, went to Piedmont Henry Hospital in suburban Atlanta with signs of sepsis in August 2022. She had taken USDA-approved mifepristone and misoprostol to end her pregnancy. It took 20 hours for doctors to intervene with a dilation and curettage procedure. That procedure had become a felony under Georgia’s abortion ban with few exceptions. Thurman passed away. First reported by ProPublica, Thurman’s ordeal is the first publicized case of a woman dying as a result of Georgia’s abortion ban.
Georgia State Representative Dar’Shun Kendrick poses for a photograph outside of the House Chamber inside the Georgia State Capitol on February 22, 2024. (Photo: Itoro N. Umontuen/The Atlanta Voice)
“Finally a judge that understands that life and liberty are paramount to our democracy,” says Georgia State Representative Dar’shun Kendrick, a Democrat representing State House District 95, which contains portions of Lithonia plus DeKalb, Gwinnett and Rockdale Counties. Life and liberty for the mother [are] first and foremost.”
Finally a judge that understands that life and liberty are paramount to our democracy…life and liberty for the mother first and foremost. Common sense judging. The Harris administration will appoint more judges that care about freedom over politics. Lets go blue! 🙏🏾✊🏾🙌🏾💙 https://t.co/4T5ZydY5YY
Vice President Kamala Harris has called for codifying Roe v. Wade into federal law. Conversely, former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, supports leaving the abortion issue to the states.
A portrait of Debra Shigley on April 13, 2024, in Alpharetta, Georgia. (Photo by: Kevin Lowery)
“I applaud this ruling, and this is a win because abortion is once again legal in Georgia today,” says Debra Shigley, a candidate for Georgia State House District 47. “Will it be tomorrow? We can expect an appeal from the State, and possible temporary suspension of the ruling by the Georgia Supreme Court.
This fight for our reproductive rights is still very much ongoing no matter how the Georgia Supreme Court rules. Republicans including, [Speaker Pro Tempore] Jan Jones, have made their intent very clear. We know exactly what their playbook will be in the next legislative session. That is exactly why we need to elect pro-choice candidates to ensure reproductive freedom in Georgia.”
Like many women in Georgia and across the country — I was shaken to my core the day that Roe v.Wade was overturned. I am a mother of five children. I know there is no safe pregnancy without access to abortion care. Without control over our bodies, we are not free. The warnings of what the Supreme Court intended to do didn’t lessen the shock – I felt a deep anger, sadness, and grief. I knew that the Georgia abortion ban was deadly.Now I feel that same anger, sadness, and grief as I see the worst case scenario come to pass.
Just this week, we learned of Amber Nicole Thurman, a 28 year-old mother, who died after becoming septic when doctors delayed performing a routine Dilation and Curettage (D&C) procedure. Thurman suffered in pain for more than 20 hours, her organs failing. When doctors finally operated, it was too late.
In the weeks following theDobbs decision, I could not forget the images of abortion bans immediately being signed into law across the country. I was disturbed when I noticed the pattern of who was in the room, singing these bills and banning our rights. Or moreover, who wasn’t in these rooms. Majority of these decision makers were men, men who not only were stripping me and every woman I love of our rights, but doing so with such little concern for the lives they so recklessly put at stake. I felt helpless. I was helpless. Plus, I immediately began to question where we go from here—and what role I would play in restoring abortion access to my friends, neighbors, and daughters.
The State of Georgia is culpable
The same Georgia lawmakers – the same men – who were so eager to make abortion illegal, passed a law making a D&C procedure a felony with very few exceptions. This law directly led to Amber Nicole’s death. A D&C is a minor and routine procedure, but the law restricting it led to a little boy who now has to grow up without his mother. How can we expect that doctors will be able to provide the appropriate care when they are operating in a climate of fear of losing their careers? This fear is exactly what this law is designed to create – a chilling effect on medical care needed by women.
Worst of all, Amber Nicole’s story isn’t unique. A woman named Candi Miller also died after being unable to seek care due to Georgia’s restrictive and controlling laws. How many more women’s stories are not being told in national news? How many more women are going to die because of a draconian law, put into place by Republican lawmakers who have no business acting as medical professionals? Additionally, how many women have already died? Amber and Candi’s deaths were preventable. Maternal health experts determined they were due to lack of access to safe abortion care, the same safe abortion care that was stolen from us.
Nobody is safe
When Governor Kemp signed our state’s abortion ban into law, he said that ‘Georgia is a state that values life.’ And yet he has let many innocent women die because they needed medical care. Georgia already has one of the worst maternal mortality rates in the country. Black women are three times more likely to die during pregnancy than their White counterparts. In the post-Roe world, Georgia’s maternal mortality rate is increasing, rising by 40% for women of color.
This is not about valuing life, this is about controlling women and denying us our privacy, dignity, and freedom. One of my strongest memories from law school is learning about the steady progression of individual rights secured in America. What alarms me is this rolling back of rights. We are witnessing the roll back of our nation’s agreement that we are all entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
In this climate, no rights, and no body is safe. Amber Nicole should be alive. Candi Miller should be alive. Pregnancy should never result in otherwise preventable death – women exercising bodily autonomy should not result in death.
I decided to run for office because I needed to speak up.
I cannot tell my daughter that her brother can make his own health care decisions, but she can’t. Also, I cannot allow my daughters to feel violated by their lack of bodily autonomy within this state. Lastly, I certainly cannot sit by and watch my daughters continue to be in the same kind of danger they are in now. I cannot, and I will not.
Debra Shigley is a lawyer, former reporter and mother of five. Shigley is currently a candidate for Georgia House District 47. The opinions expressed are her own.
