WASHINGTON, DC (August 21, 2025) – The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) mourns the passing of Dr. James Dobson, who passed away on August 21st at the age of 89.
Dr. Dobson, the founder of Focus on the Family and later Family Talk, was a courageous voice against the harms of pornography to American society. He served on the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography in the 1980s, where he was the strongest voice against those harms, and which recommended several actions to curb the spread of pornography – many of which were implemented by former NCOSE President and CEO Patrick Trueman during his service as Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Criminal Division at the U.S. Department of Justice from 1988 to 1993.
“Dr. Dobson saw how pornography negatively impacted women, men, children, and families,” says NCOSE President and CEO Dr. Marcel Van der Watt. “His strong and unequivocal voice played a pivotal role in raising awareness of pornography’s evils and resulted in many significant positive reforms to curb its influence in society while bringing its perpetrators to justice. For that, we will always be indebted to him and his courage.”
About National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
Founded in 1962, the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) is the leading national non-profit organization exposing the links between all forms of sexual exploitation such as child sexual abuse, prostitution, sex trafficking and the public health harms of pornography.
To schedule an interview with NCOSE, please contact press@ncose.com.
