“Almost everyone now agrees that real reform requires doing something about out-of-wedlock births, especially among teenagers.” —Douglas J. Besharov, resident scholar, American Enterprise Institute.

“Just as the government cannot outlaw abortion and require women to bear children, the government cannot prevent some women from having children.” —American Civil Liberties Union

“While young women do not bear children in order to reap ‘windfall profits’ from welfare, they are very much aware of the role which welfare will play in supporting them once the child is born.” —Bob Williams, former state representative and now president of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation

“If politicians were to take the time to talk to these women, they would quickly discover that most recipients would tell them, ‘You’ve got to be crazy to have another kid for an extra $75 a month!”’ —Mark Robert Rank, associate professor of social work, Washington University in St. Louis and author of Living on the Edge: The Realities of Welfare in America. xxxx? “Safety net? Teen pregnancies. Welfare mothers. The state’s role in now the center of a nationwide debate with no easy answers. We offer some differing views and ideas on these important issues.”