William J. Bennett and Peter Wehner

William J. Bennett and Peter Wehner argue in the following viewpoint that the welfare system encourages out-of-wedlock births, many of which are to teenage mothers. If welfare benefits were eliminated, the authors maintain, the number of young single women having babies would fall dramatically. Bennett is a codirector of Empower America, a free market political advocacy organization, and the author of The Book of Virtues. Wehner is the director of policy at Empower America.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. According to the authors, what important moral principle is behind the proposed policy to end welfare"

2. What evidence do Bennett and Wehner offer for the failure of the welfare system"

3. In the authors’ opinion, what should be the point of welfare reform"

Republicans should propose legislation that ends...