The domestic violence bill was dead in the S.C. House of Representatives this year until a Charleston lawmaker invoked a national rebuke for his objectionable comments. The backlash in South Carolina resulted because many thought the male-dominated legislature didn't take abuse of spouses and children seriously. The backlash was exacerbated by a legislature that had just increased penalties for abuse of a chicken, the gamecock, while ignoring the physical and mental abuse taking place in domestic relationships.
Rep. John Graham Altman, R-Charleston, and his peers received the verbal comeuppance that they deserved, proving an old saying: Be careful that your sharp tongue doesn't cut your own throat. In this case, the pain was severe enough to cause then-Speaker of the House David Wilkins to orchestrate a change of heart among lawmakers and provide stiffer penalties for violators.
The new law doubles the fine for first conviction for domestic violence from $500 to $1,000 or 30 days in jail. With counseling the sentence can be suspended. The law now maximizes penalties for a second offense from $500 and 30 days in jail to a year in jail or a $5,000 fine.
Domestic abuse is a huge problem nationwide, but especially so in South Carolina. The abuse has an effect on a number of agencies -- from the police who must handle the initial calls, to service agencies such as Citizens Opposed to Domestic Abuse, to hospitals and to mental health centers.
Curbing abuse before it starts would be preferable to treating the consequences, but South Carolina has a long way to go to make this happen. The South Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault reports that as children, 80 percent of men who batter saw their mothers battered.
For now, spouses and families in South Carolina can thank the governor for signing this law and giving it currency within law enforcement.