Technological advancements happen because of a confluence of different events, each contributing to its eventual success.
Bitcoin is absolutely one of the components that allows for the proliferation of ransomware. The key to a ransom is the ability for the attacker to obtain payment in an way that doesn't put them at risk of being caught. BTC enabled that. In fact, anonymous payments are widely considered to be one of the major purposes of BTC.
If ransomware was a positive thing, then BTC advocates would be talking about how BTC is the key technology that enabled malware to make the transition from hobby/annoyance/weapon to a full-fledged industry.
