The Supreme Court decided on Tuesday that the wording of a 1996 child pornography law was too vague and far-reaching. This victory is a tremendous setback for children’s rights. At a time when the Catholic community is watching its leaders like a hawk over accusations of sexual abuse, this ruling makes it even more difficult to believe that a child can be safe in a society like ours.

Freedom of speech is an important right, and protecting that right in all its forms is commendable, but perhaps artists who are worried about the law stifling their creative abilities and porn producers should realize that their work should never come at the expense, however remote, of any child.

According to Yahoo News, the law barred sexually explicit material that contains what “appear(s) to be a minor” or that is advertised in a way that “conveys the impression” that a minor was involved in its creation. The law was originally intended to answer the problem of computer-altered images of actual children or computer-generated images of children and minors. Porn distributors say that while their trade is unsavory, it is still a legitimate and legal business. The main argument is that the law should not limit computer images of children in sexually explicit acts because they are not exploiting actual children.

The recent scandal concerning the Catholic church and its difficulties in obeying most of the Ten Commandments makes this issue all the more repulsive. Artists have done well enough since pre-historic times in creating beauty and meaning without naked children in their work, and the porn industry will not suffer too greatly if computer-generated hentai or anime images are restricted to bug-eyed, 18-and-over girls rather than children. The Supreme Court is opening doors for disgusting abuses. You never know where a pedophile will get his or her ideas.