Successful welfare reform depends on a thorough understanding of the causes of teenage pregnancy and the often ignored obstacles faced by these young women. Among these issues are trauma histories and the long-term effects of the childhood maltreatment of the adolescent mothers. Significant numbers of adolescents who become pregnant have histories of childhood sexual abuse (Boyer and Fine, 1992; Butler and Burton, 1990; Gershenson et al., 1989). A survey conducted by the Ounce of Prevention Fund of 445 black, white, and Hispanic pregnant and parenting adolescents shows that 61 percent reported sexual abuse. Of those who reported abuse, 65 percent had been abused by more than one perpetrator, and 50 percent had more than one experience of abuse. In a number of studies, childhood sexual abuse has been associated with high-risk sexual behavior by the victims as well as other negative outcomes for adolescent and adult women. The childhood maltreatment and consequent high-risk sexual behavior of its victims suggests that many adolescent mothers are unprepared for self-sufficiency in many respects. Current welfare reform has focused on denial of benefits to unmarried teen mothers under age 18, a ban on additional benefits for women who have more children, employment training, and work requirements. The long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse challenge these goals on several fronts. Welfare policy relative to teen mothers should focus on assessment and services to enhance the functioning of these mothers rather than blaming them for behavior that often stems from their having been sexually abused. Care must be exercised, however, not to label all young unwed mothers as functionally impaired. 30 references