Weld Welfare Proposal Seeks To Curb Teen Pregnancy

By Jessica Portner

Emboldened by the authority over welfare programs that Congress is expected to soon transfer to the states, Gov. William F. Weld of Massachusetts has become the first governor to propose cutting off cash assistance to unmarried mothers younger than 18.

The Republican governor said his plan, introduced this month, is designed to strike out at teenage pregnancy.

Under current law, states must apply for waivers from the federal government before they can experiment with welfare reform. But legislation making its way through Congress would convert more than 40 federal welfare programs into block grants to the states, allowing states to design...