By Sharon Ugolini
Sen. Orrin Hatch has vowed to rewrite “virtual” child pornography laws following a U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Hatch sponsored the 1996 Child Pornography Prevention Act, which banned sexually explicit material portraying a minor or anything that promoted or advertised a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
The Supreme Court struck down Hatch”s ban Tues., April 16, with a 6-3 ruling stating the ban to be unconstitutional.
The court found the law to be a violation of the First Amendment. Since “virtual” children are computer-generated creations, they are not victims and that does not directly violate the CPPA.
The ban in Hatch”s law was overly broad and would “chill speech within the First Amendment”s vast and privileged sphere,” according to the Supreme Court.
Hatch said, “I am committed to using every effort to curtail, and hopefully stop, the sexual exploitation children. … (I) will be studying the court”s opinion to see exactly how we can craft news legislation to punish the sexual exploitation of children consistent with the Court”s decision.”
