Katha Pollitt

Many politicians and public figures tout adoption as the humanitarian alternative to abortion. In the following viewpoint, Katha Pollitt argues that such ideology is damaging to pregnant teenagers who may suffer serious physical and emotional repercussions from carrying a pregnancy to term at such a young age. She maintains that instilling guilt in young girls who choose abortion instead of adoption revives the negative social stigma of teenage pregnancy that prevailed in the 1950s and 1960s. Pollitt is a columnist with Nation, a weekly journal of political and social issues.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. How does Pollitt define the welfare family cap"

2. What differences between the United States’ and Europe’s policies on teenage sexuality does the author describe"

3. According to the author, how were girls...