Washington (CNN) Missouri's attorney general, who is a Republican candidate running for US Senate, is facing criticism for a December speech in which he blamed the sexual revolution for human trafficking.

"The sexual revolution has led to exploitation of women on a scale that we would never have imagined," Josh Hawley said in a December 7 speech to Christian pastors at an event hosted by the Missouri Renewal Project.

"You know what I'm talking about, the 1960s, 1970s, it became commonplace in our culture among our cultural elites, Hollywood, and the media to talk about -- to denigrate the biblical truth about husband and wife, man and woman," Hawley said.

Hawley argued that there's a "human trafficking crisis" because "our culture has completely lost its way."

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