Are photos of nude children illegal to have?

Answer 1

Pictures of nude children are only illegal to have if they fall under the description of the law as being child porn....There are laws governing exactly what is considered Child pornography and what is not.

Child pornography is defined under United States law as the visual depiction of minor children under the age of 18 engaging in sex acts such as sexual intercourse, masturbation or oral sex; the definition also covers photographs or depictions of children's genitalia.

In the United States, child pornography is prohibited under 18 USC Chapter 110 Sexual Exploitation and Other Abuse of Children. While this law defines child pornography as "depictions of a minor engaging in sexually explicit conduct," the actual definition of what is a pornographic image is more subjective. Most all US courts now use "Dost factors" (named after the U.S. v. Dost case in 1986) to determine whether an image is pornographic: these factors ask whether the focal point of the visual depiction is the child's genital region; whether the setting of the image is sexually suggestive; whether the child is posed unnaturally or in inappropriate attire; whether the child is nude, semi-clothed or fully clothed; whether the picture indicates the child's willingness to engage in sexual activity; and whether the image is intended to elicit a sexual response in its consumer or viewer. Notwithstanding the popularity of these factors, the U.S. Supreme Court has also stated that even fully clothed images of children may constitute child pornography as well.

There are also numerous depictions of nude children in photos and art work,many churches have art work such as photos,portraits and statues depicting nude children with wings, these are often called cherubs,these works of art most always contain full frontal nudity of the child's genital area..Many modern and vintage bibles contain nude pictures of cherubs,children,women,men and young girls.There are numerous other works of art both vintage and modern depicting nude children that are not considered by law to be child porn...