The Uncertain Fate of Virtual Child Pornography
THE UNCERTAIN FATE OF VIRTUAL cmLD PORNOGRAPHY LEGISLATION Chelsea McLean* INTRODUC TION ............................................. 221 I. A HISTORICAL OVERVIEW OF THE PROBLEM AND THELAW ....................................... 223 A, THE PROBLEM: CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY ,, , . ,. , ........................., .. ,, . 223 B. THE HISTORY OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY JURISPRUDENCE AND LEGISLATIVE AlTEMPTS TO REGULATE CHILD PORNOGRAPHY ..................,. 224 IL THE CASE: ASHCROFf V. FREE SPEECH COALITION. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 228 III. HERE WE GO AGAIN: THE PROTECT ACT OF 2003. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 236 A. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS SUPPORT THE AMENDED LEGISLATION .,,,,,,,,,.,,.,.,,.,.. ,.,,.,.,,,, .... ,. 236 B. THE LAw Is ENACTED AS THE PROTECT AcT ....... 238 IV. TREATING VIRTUAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AS A FORM OF OBSC ENITY .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 240 A. DOES THE SHOE FIT? ,.. , , ... ,, ., . .. .. .. .. 240 B. OBSCENITY LAW SHOULD REACH PossEss10N OF VIRTUAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY .. ... .. .. .. 243 C. UsE OF OssCENITY LAW TO PROHIBIT VIRTUAL CHILD PoRNOGRAPHY MAY PosE DIFFICULTIES. BUT 1T REMAINS THE MosT FEASIBLE WAY TO COMBAT VIRTUAL CHILD PORNOGRAPHY .. .. .. .. .. .. 245 CONCLUSION. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 246 INTRODUCTION In 2002 the Supreme Court struck down provisions of the Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996 (the CPPA)1 on the grounds that its provisions were unconstitutionally overbroad and therefore violative of >1< B.A., The University of Wisconsin at Madison, 2005;Candidate for J.D., Cornell Law School, 2008; Articles Editor, Camell Journal of law and Public Policy, Volume 17. I am grateful lo Augusta Wilson, Maria Hroncich and Jaime Senior fortheir thoughtful editing and suggeslions. I also wish to thank my parents for their unending encouragement and support. 1 Child Pornography Prevention Act of 1996, Pub. L. No. 104·208, § 121, 110 Stat. 3009-26 (1996), 221 222 CORNELL JouRNAL OF LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY [Vol.
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