'The state has a duty to protect women and girls from sexual exploitation by abusive, dangerous men. If it does not act, I am afraid that all members will be complicit in that harm.
As I look around the chamber this evening, I see some MSPs sitting here who know that they should register an interest, but I am sure that they will not, for varying reasons. The vote on the bill is not a conscience vote, but I believe that it should be, as such votes have been for other members’ bills. I also see former colleagues and friends on the benches who I know back the bill and support the principle. I wonder whether they will have the courage to say so with their votes—I hope that they will.
Millicent Fawcett famously said, “Courage calls to courage”. The most courageous people in the Parliament today are the survivors of prostitution. They have called to us all. They have bared their deepest trauma and shame in the hope that we will listen to them and in the hope that we will save the next wee girls who are targeted to have their bodies accessed by entitled, abusive sex buyers. Will you finally heed their call to courage? Will you listen to and act for them? MSPs who hide behind the polished lies that are directly out of the sex trade handbook should be ashamed, frankly.
I want to address the point of harm. The only thing that would be harmed by my bill is the sex trade, and there is no excuse not to apply critical thinking and research to this debate, as other legislatures, even in the UK, have done and have told us about. They are watching this Parliament today.'
https://www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-committees/official-report/search-what-was-said-in-parliament/recent-publication?meeting=20044&iob=201937
The Bill was voted down at Stage 1, by 64 to 54 votes.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cqj2n7ylrgyo