William J. Bennett

William J. Bennett, a former U.S. secretary of education and director of national drug control policy, is codirector of Empower America, a public policy research organization in Washington, D.C.

The welfare system sustains and subsidizes illegitimacy, a condition that causes poverty and social decay, particularly among black Americans. Illegitimate children are more likely to be poor, drop out of school, and become criminals and drug abusers than children in two-parent families. The welfare system contributes to these problems by providing cash grants to mothers who have children out of wedlock. Meaningful welfare reform must include ending aid to mothers who have illegitimate children and reducing the frequency of illegitimacy among America’s poor.

Editor’s Note: The following viewpoint was a statement given to the House of...