Welfare Law and the Drive to Reduce "Illegitimacy"

Abstract:
This Issue Brief discusses the provisions of the 1996 welfare overhaul directed at reducing out-of-wedlock childbearing and promoting abstinence-only education. One of the provisions, the Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) main goal is to "prevent and reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock pregnancies". In addition, there is general language within the law about restoring "traditional family norms" that is directed at Americans as a whole, not just those on welfare. The issue brief looks at the lack of information on the status of the program, and on sound evaluation of the efficacy of abstinence-only sex education, one of the main tenets of the law. It discusses in some detail the many additional provisions of the program, and the scant amount of evaluative information that is available. The provisions highlighted are as follows: Illegitimacy bonus provision, Family Cap, Minor Parent provisions, and Abstinence-Only Education.

Publication: Issues in Brief


Date Published: 12/1/2000

Pages: 4

Comments:
For more information, please contact the Alan Guttmacher Institute at 202/223-5756

Location Code: 10162