Welfare | Welfare Policies Should Discourage Out-of-Wedlock Births

Many critics contend that the welfare system promotes illegitimate births and dependency by giving unmarried mothers cash benefits. In addressing this problem, the 1996 welfare reform law places restrictions on benefits to unwed teen parents, and it allows states to deny additional benefits to families having more children while receiving assistance. In the following viewpoint, Lisa E. Oliphant contends that welfare reform has not gone far enough to discourage out-ofwedlock births and divert families away from public assistance. In the author’s opinion, the most effective way to end...

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