Texans vote overwhelmingly to enshrine parental rights in state constitution

MANSFIELD, Texas (OSV News) -- Texas voters overwhelmingly approved an amendment enshrining parental rights in the state's constitution Nov. 4.

Proposition 15 passed a statewide referendum with 70% of the vote, amending the Texas Constitution's Bill of Rights to include a parent's "responsibility to nurture and protect the parent's child" and the right to "exercise care, custody, and control of the parent's child, including the right to make decisions concerning the child ‘s upbringing."

The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops endorsed the amendment because it would be consistent with the church's theology that parents are the primary educators of their children, said executive director Jennifer Allmon.

"There's a lot of governmental entities and governmental actions that can sometimes infringe on that right, and this ensures that the parents can adequately exercise that right," she said. "There's actually no real change in this passing in terms of rights parents already had but by solidifying it in the constitution, we're protecting it for the future."

Amendments to the constitution must first be approved by two thirds of both houses of the Texas state legislature before going to the voters. The resolution passed with bipartisan support, receiving unanimous support from the senate.

In addition to the state Catholic conference, the amendment received support from organizations such as Texas Right to Life, the Texas Home School Coalition and from the Christian Life Coalition, the public policy arm of the Baptist General Convention of Texas.

"We are optimistic that by enshrining this language in the state constitution, these fundamental rights will be better protected from potential infringement," Katie Frugé, the Baptist coalition's director, told OSV News in an email. "Texas has long been a family-friendly state, and the people of Texas reaffirmed that commitment this week."

However, the proposition couldn't avoid controversy. Several organizations from across the political spectrum opposed the proposition, such as Avow Texas, a "pro-choice" group, and Porgress Texas, which supports LGBTQ+ rights. Fran Rhodes, president of the conservative-leaning True Texas Project, told OSV News in an email that its opposition was based on "principles of God-given rights and responsibilities" and a belief in limited government.

"Children are a blessing from God, and that sacred responsibility should never be handed over to government, unless there is clear evidence of abuse and neglect," she said. "We think that putting this in the constitution is a way of saying that the state of Texas is granting parents this right and responsibility, and if the state is granting it, then the state can take it away."

Some detractors have raised concerns that the amendment could allow parents to take actions contrary to the Gospel and church teaching, such as pressuring their minor children to receive an abortion or promoting their children self-identifying as transgender.

"That would be in conflict with other laws in Texas to exercise a right like that. We don't believe that it's going to manifest that way," Allmon said. "We felt comfortable that the wording of the amendment and the previous case law on the issues is protective enough."