Teenage pregnancy and out-of-wedlock childbearing were central issues in the debate over welfare reform. They are frequently seen as both the cause of increased welfare costs and caseloads over the last 25 years, and the result of the welfare system itself. Out-of-wedlock births among teenagers have increased dramatically in the last several decades and now account for almost 70% of all teenage births. Yet, trends in teenage sexual activity and childbearing reflect broader trends in sexual and …showed first 75 words of 2081 total…

…showed last 75 words of 2081 total…AGI), The Politics of Blame: Family Planning, Abortion and the Poor, New York, 1995. AGI, Sex and America's Teenagers, New York, 1994. General Accounting Office (GAO), "Families on Welfare: Sharp Rise in Never-Married Women Reflects Societal Trend," GAO/HERS-94-92, Washington, D.C., May 1994. GAO, "Families on Welfare: Teenage Mothers Least Likely to Become Self-Sufficient," GAO/HERS-94-115, Washington, D.C., May 1994. U.S. House of Representatives, Overview of Entitlement Programs: 1994 Green Book, Washington, D.C., July 15, 1994.