SC: Cockfighting Bill Passes, Domestic Abuse Bill Doesn't

This week, the South Carolina State House took up two bills, one to make cockfighting a felony and another to protect the victims of domestic violence. Both bills arrived at the Judiciary Committee, and both landed on the desk of State Rep. John Graham Altman III (R-119-Charleston). Well, one bill made it out of the ring alive - the cockfighting bill.
See, I guess there were a few too many legislators that agreed with Rep. Altman's assessment of the bill, as quoted in an interview by WISTV correspondent Kara Gormley:
"I think this bill is probably drafted out of an abundance of ignorance." Altman has this to say about the cockfighting bill, also in the same interview:
"I was all for that. Cockfighting reminds me of the Roman circus, coliseum."
So, two bills concerning abuse are on the table - one that concerns the abuse of a real, live, thinking, breathing person - and another that concerns the abuse of an animal. Obviously any kind of abuse is wrong, but critics of the committee's action say that this makes women out to be less important than, well, cocks.