On 10 October 2025, Ash Regan quit the Alba Party to focus on pursuing her proposed bill to criminalise paying for sexual services in Scotland. She states the bill aims to replicate the Nordic Model of criminalising paying for services, intending to abolish sex work.
Previously, Regan stepped down from her role as SNP minister in 2022, over her disagreement with reforming the Gender Recognition Bill to make it easier for people to change their legally recognised gender. Regan is also a member of For Women Scotland (FWS), a political group that advocates against legal gender reform – recently gaining mass attention for losing their case For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers. Regan can be identified as a trans-exclusionary radical feminist based on her current political associations. So what can this tell us about the intention of her proposed bill?
In the proposal, she states: “My bill would introduce a new criminal offence for paying for sexual services … repeal previous convictions for soliciting in public spaces, and give people who sell sexual acts the statutory right to support during, and after they are involved in prostitution.” This statement made in the proposal states the intention of the bill is to criminalise buying sex and decriminalise selling sex.
The bill has received incredibly mixed reactions, with many supporting its potential to reduce violence and exploitation. However, many critics of the bill argue that it may serve to criminalise sex work, only making it more unsafe for workers, and driving the industry underground. It is essential to remember when discussing this that the outcome should always be in the workers’ best interest, to support their health, safety, and bodily autonomy.
Many who support the bill support it on the basis that they see prostitution as an act of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), and that full decriminalisation cannot address the violence and exploitation that happens outside legalised brothels due to how prostitution is intertwined with other crimes.
It is stated that tackling prostitution is needed to fight human trafficking. There were no public services, local authorities, or third sector organisations working in VAWG that opposed this proposal. Supporters of the bill expressed that making women “unbuyable” in Scotland is a necessity to further equality – to challenge men’s demand for prostitution by criminalising buyers.
Many critics oppose the bill on the basis that it is a Members Bill, and so did not consider the opposition prior to proposal, making the approach to the consultation biased. Critics state that if Regan had engaged with people who work in prostitution, then she would be campaigning for full decriminalisation instead.
The support for full decriminalisation of sex work is based on how criminalising adult, voluntary, and consensual sex is incompatible with the human right to personal autonomy and privacy, as supported by Human Rights Watch. The proposals’ opposition expresses that the bill would leave workers with only bad clients – clients who are dangerous and violent, and would not report abuse to authorities. They argue that full decriminalisation would allow those working in the sex industry more power and prevent the industry from going underground.
With both sides considered, is this a good proposal, and does it effectively protect those working or trying to leave the sex industry? Or is it a violation of bodily autonomy, and does it actually reduce the safety of people who sell sexual services?
“21 December 2022 Holyrood protest – Ash Regan” by kaysgeog is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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Should we Criminalise Sex Work?
On 10 October 2025, Ash Regan quit the Alba Party to focus on pursuing her proposed bill to criminalise paying for sexual services in Scotland. She states the bill aims to replicate the Nordic Model of criminalising paying for services, intending to abolish sex work.
Previously, Regan stepped down from her role as SNP minister in 2022, over her disagreement with reforming the Gender Recognition Bill to make it easier for people to change their legally recognised gender. Regan is also a member of For Women Scotland (FWS), a political group that advocates against legal gender reform – recently gaining mass attention for losing their case For Women Scotland Ltd v The Scottish Ministers. Regan can be identified as a trans-exclusionary radical feminist based on her current political associations. So what can this tell us about the intention of her proposed bill?
In the proposal, she states: “My bill would introduce a new criminal offence for paying for sexual services … repeal previous convictions for soliciting in public spaces, and give people who sell sexual acts the statutory right to support during, and after they are involved in prostitution.” This statement made in the proposal states the intention of the bill is to criminalise buying sex and decriminalise selling sex.
The bill has received incredibly mixed reactions, with many supporting its potential to reduce violence and exploitation. However, many critics of the bill argue that it may serve to criminalise sex work, only making it more unsafe for workers, and driving the industry underground. It is essential to remember when discussing this that the outcome should always be in the workers’ best interest, to support their health, safety, and bodily autonomy.
Many who support the bill support it on the basis that they see prostitution as an act of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG), and that full decriminalisation cannot address the violence and exploitation that happens outside legalised brothels due to how prostitution is intertwined with other crimes.
It is stated that tackling prostitution is needed to fight human trafficking. There were no public services, local authorities, or third sector organisations working in VAWG that opposed this proposal. Supporters of the bill expressed that making women “unbuyable” in Scotland is a necessity to further equality – to challenge men’s demand for prostitution by criminalising buyers.
Many critics oppose the bill on the basis that it is a Members Bill, and so did not consider the opposition prior to proposal, making the approach to the consultation biased. Critics state that if Regan had engaged with people who work in prostitution, then she would be campaigning for full decriminalisation instead.
The support for full decriminalisation of sex work is based on how criminalising adult, voluntary, and consensual sex is incompatible with the human right to personal autonomy and privacy, as supported by Human Rights Watch. The proposals’ opposition expresses that the bill would leave workers with only bad clients – clients who are dangerous and violent, and would not report abuse to authorities. They argue that full decriminalisation would allow those working in the sex industry more power and prevent the industry from going underground.
With both sides considered, is this a good proposal, and does it effectively protect those working or trying to leave the sex industry? Or is it a violation of bodily autonomy, and does it actually reduce the safety of people who sell sexual services?
“21 December 2022 Holyrood protest – Ash Regan” by kaysgeog is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
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