--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It isn't about the welfare check. It…" description: "\"“It isn't about the welfare check. It never was. It isn't about sexual permissiveness, or personal morality, or failures in parenting, or lack of famil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/david-simon-3189_family-planning_it-isn-t-about-the-welfare-check-it-neve_1311611.png" --- # It isn't about the welfare check. It never was. It isn't… ![“It isn't about the welfare check. It never was. It isn't about sexual permissiveness, or personal morality, or failures in parenting, or lack of family planning. All of these are inherent in the disaster, but the purposefulness with which babies make babies in places like West Baltimore goes far…” quote by David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/david-simon-3189_family-planning_it-isn-t-about-the-welfare-check-it-neve_1311611.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/david-simon-3189_family-planning_it-isn-t-about-the-welfare-check-it-neve_1311611.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/david-simon-3189_family-planning_it-isn-t-about-the-welfare-check-it-neve_1311611.png) > ““It isn't about the welfare check. It never was. It isn't about sexual permissiveness, or personal morality, or failures in parenting, or lack of family planning. All of these are inherent in the disaster, but the purposefulness with which babies make babies in places like West Baltimore goes far beyond accident and chance, circumstance and misunderstanding. It's about more than the sexual drives of adolescents, too, though that might be hard to believe in a country where sex alone is enough of an argument to make anyone do just about anything. In Baltimore, a city with the highest teen pregnancy rates in the nation, the epidemic is, at root, about human expectation, or more precisely, the absence of expectation.”” [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Teen pregnancy in Baltimore stems from a lack of societal expectations, not just personal choices. **In simple terms:** Missing expectations drive high teen pregnancy rates. Key Takeaway Raise community expectations for youth. Themes public health social policy urban decay Mood somber analytical Type explanatory critical When to use this quote - schools - community centers - policy making - family counseling Key Concepts Structural inequality intergenerational cycles Questions to Reflect On - What expectations are missing for teens? - How can communities rebuild hopeful futures? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on expectations may overlook economic factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Family planning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-planning/) [Teen pregnancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teen-pregnancy/) ## Related quotes > [Most people, almost everyone knows of a teen mom. Teen pregnancy rates are growing, and we need to bring awareness to that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madisen-beaty/most-people-almost-everyone-knows-of-a-teen-mom-teen-pregnancy-rates/) Madisen Beaty > [Rates of black poverty have decreased. Black teen-pregnancy rates are at record lows - and the gap between black and white teen-pregnancy rates has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ta-nehisi-coates/rates-of-black-poverty-have-decreased-black-teen-pregnancy-rates-are/) [Ta-Nehisi Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ta-nehisi-coates/) > [With issues like our country's teen-age pregnancy rate, fashion's importance ranks right up there with cleaning your ears. Except right before going on television…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-pratt/with-issues-like-our-country-s-teen-age-pregnancy-rate-fashion-s/) Jane Pratt > [People who make babies surrender their right to behave like them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-hax/people-who-make-babies-surrender-their-right-to-behave-like-them/) [Carolyn Hax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-hax/) > [Babies, babies, babies. Why did God make so many babies? But no, God didn't make them. Stupid people made them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mitchell/babies-babies-babies-why-did-god-make-so-many-babies-but-no-god-didn/) [Margaret Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mitchell/) > [Most relationships probably start with people going, 'Meh, it's probably best not to be embarking in this relationship.' We do it, though, because our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rust/most-relationships-probably-start-with-people-going-meh-it-s-probably/) [Paul Rust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rust/) > [There are few things that's forever, my lady. We can make war or make babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/method-man/there-are-few-things-that-s-forever-my-lady-we-can-make-war-or-make/) [Method Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/method-man/) > [“And if you want to make babies, somebody's got to get fucked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-weir/and-if-you-want-to-make-babies-somebody-s-got-to-get-fucked/) [Andy Weir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-weir/) > [She was a dull person, but a sensational invitation to make babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/she-was-a-dull-person-but-a-sensational-invitation-to-make-babies/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I HEARD YOU LIKE TO DO IT WITH THE LIGHTS ON. BUT I REALLY MAKE BABIES WHEN THE MIC'S ON. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/i-heard-you-like-to-do-it-with-the-lights-on-but-i-really-make-babies/) [KANYE WEST](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [... woman is frequently praised as the more "creative" sex. She does not need to make poems, it is argued; she has no drive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-ozick/woman-is-frequently-praised-as-the-more-creative-sex-she-does-not/) [Cynthia Ozick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-ozick/) > [I know so many people that were really able to lead 'perfect' lives. They meet the right person, they make the babies, they get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/i-know-so-many-people-that-were-really-able-to-lead-perfect-lives/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Guys who feel like it makes you a man to make babies, they're completely misguided. It makes you a man to be a father.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-pelecanos/guys-who-feel-like-it-makes-you-a-man-to-make-babies-they-re/) [George Pelecanos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-pelecanos/) > [My ultimate fantasy is to entice a man to my bedroom, put a gun to his head and say, 'Make babies or die'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruby-wax/my-ultimate-fantasy-is-to-entice-a-man-to-my-bedroom-put-a-gun-to-his/) [Ruby Wax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruby-wax/) > [Time to heal our women, be real to our women. And if we don't, then we'll have a race of babies, that hate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/time-to-heal-our-women-be-real-to-our-women-and-if-we-don-t-then-we/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) ## More by David Simon > [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [It is your birthright to live a life abundant in love. Make the commitment today to open your heart and let your love flow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/it-is-your-birthright-to-live-a-life-abundant-in-love-make-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [“If the case isn't plea bargained, dismissed or placed on the inactive docket for an indefinite period of time, if by some perverse twist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-the-case-isn-t-plea-bargained-dismissed-or-placed-on-the-inactive/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Boiled down to its core, the truth is always a simple, solid thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/boiled-down-to-its-core-the-truth-is-always-a-simple-solid-thing/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [When we spend time in silence, we can hear the voice of our soul whispering its sacred message and encouraging us to make choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/when-we-spend-time-in-silence-we-can-hear-the-voice-of-our-soul/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [You have the capacity to change the plot line of your life, even if you've been acting from the same script since before you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/you-have-the-capacity-to-change-the-plot-line-of-your-life-even-if/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Healing is the process of reestablishing the integration between body, mind, and spirit, creating opportunities for the return of the memory of wholeness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/healing-is-the-process-of-reestablishing-the-integration-between-body/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Authenticity is an alignment between your beliefs, your desires and your choices in the world. Desires change throughout the course of a life, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/authenticity-is-an-alignment-between-your-beliefs-your-desires-and/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [One of the sad things about contemporary journalism is that it actually matters very little. The world now is almost inured to the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/one-of-the-sad-things-about-contemporary-journalism-is-that-it/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Awakening into love is a lifelong path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/awakening-into-love-is-a-lifelong-path/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [“Everyone lies. Murderers lie because they have to; witnesses and other participants lie because they think they have to; everyone else lies for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/everyone-lies-murderers-lie-because-they-have-to-witnesses-and-other/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [The drug war is a holocaust in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/the-drug-war-is-a-holocaust-in-slow-motion/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [Lawrence Gilliard Jr. is a fine actor and I've always felt some residual guilt that we killed him so early in The Wire. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/lawrence-gilliard-jr-is-a-fine-actor-and-i-ve-always-felt-some/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [“A man got to have a code. --The Wire”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/a-man-got-to-have-a-code-the-wire/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [What drugs have not destroyed, the war on them has](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/what-drugs-have-not-destroyed-the-war-on-them-has/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) [Explore all 134 David Simon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) ## More Family planning quotes > [I've travelled extensively in the last 16 years - to slums in Bangladesh, to townships in South Africa, to all kinds of places in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/i-ve-travelled-extensively-in-the-last-16-years-to-slums-in/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) > [A focus on people's health and well-being must be the core of family planning research and policy. This may seem self-evident, but the realities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-simmons/a-focus-on-people-s-health-and-well-being-must-be-the-core-of-family/) [Ruth Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-simmons/) > [I advocate family planning, but I have never stood for forcible sterilisation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-gandhi/i-advocate-family-planning-but-i-have-never-stood-for-forcible/) [Sanjay Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-gandhi/) > [I will veto any spending bill that contains funding for Planned Parenthood, facilities that perform abortion and all government family planning schemes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/i-will-veto-any-spending-bill-that-contains-funding-for-planned/) [Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/) > [Midwives and doctors play a crucial role preventing unnecessary maternal deaths. They educate women about nutrition, health and family planning. And they step in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liya-kebede/midwives-and-doctors-play-a-crucial-role-preventing-unnecessary/) [Liya Kebede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liya-kebede/) > [It's long been accepted as fact that the availability of family planning services saves lives. Where women have access to these services, children and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/it-s-long-been-accepted-as-fact-that-the-availability-of-family/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [ But ripped out of context, \["Who am I to judge?" phrase\] has become an all-purpose filter through which everything else - including the pope's… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-weigel/but-ripped-out-of-context-who-am-i-to-judge-phrase-has-become-an-all/) [George Weigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-weigel/) > [“Having a daughter whose company he actually enjoyed was one of Jim’s favorite accomplishments. The odds were against you, in all matters of family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-straub/having-a-daughter-whose-company-he-actually-enjoyed-was-one-of-jim-s/) [Emma Straub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-straub/) > [ The next most dangerous thing \[after nuclear proliferation\] is probably... global warming, and then, right behind that are overpopulation -- we need to get… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/the-next-most-dangerous-thing-after-nuclear-proliferation-is-probably/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [Natural Family Planning works and is as effective, and sometimes more effective, than the birth control methods out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-johnson/natural-family-planning-works-and-is-as-effective-and-sometimes-more/) [Abby Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-johnson/) > [There are fewer unwanted pregnancies and fewer occasions where a woman is confronted with that decision if she has access to family planning and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-casey-jr/there-are-fewer-unwanted-pregnancies-and-fewer-occasions-where-a/) [Bob Casey, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-casey-jr/) > [Family planning experts are now recommending giving men vasectomy gift cards for the holidays. Talk about taking the jingle out of the bells.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/family-planning-experts-are-now-recommending-giving-men-vasectomy/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [“So here we are, in the family planning aisle with a cart full of sports drinks and our hands full of . . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huntley-fitzpatrick/so-here-we-are-in-the-family-planning-aisle-with-a-cart-full-of/) [Huntley Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huntley-fitzpatrick/) > [Social services, not wealth per se, seem to be the key to lower birth rates. The Chinese, although among the poorest peoples of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donella-meadows/social-services-not-wealth-per-se-seem-to-be-the-key-to-lower-birth/) [Donella Meadows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donella-meadows/) > [In different places you run into myths around vaccination or around family planning. In the United States, one of the myths that existed for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda-gates/in-different-places-you-run-into-myths-around-vaccination-or-around/) [Melinda Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melinda-gates/) [Browse all 82 Family planning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family-planning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It isn't about the welfare check. It never was. It isn't about sexual permissiveness, or personal morality, or failures in parenting, or lack of family planning. All of these are inherent in the disaster, but the purposefulness with which babies make babies in places like West Baltimore goes far beyond accident and chance, circumstance and misunderstanding. It's about more than the sexual drives of adolescents, too, though that might be hard to believe in a country where sex alone is enough of an argument to make anyone do just about anything. 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