This chapter discusses Family Caps and models of nonmarital fertility. In the eyes of its authors, the Family Cap in New Jersey was always about economic self-sufficiency and rehabilitation through work and training. At the federal level, especially in the House of Representatives, Family Caps were envisioned by many as their principal tool, along with time limits, for combating illegitimate births. President Bill Clinton, always ambivalent about Family Caps, recognized them as a way of promoting personal responsibility, but was sensitive to their perception by liberals as harsh social engineering.
Keywords: Family Cap, abortion, nonmarital fertility, welfare reform,