Early returns show that on November 4, 2025, voters in Texas approved Texas Proposition 15, Parental Rights Amendment (2025). The measure will amend the Texas Constitution to state that a parent “has the responsibility to nurture and protect the parent’s child and the corresponding fundamental right to exercise care, custody, and control of the parent’s child, including the right to make decisions concerning the child’s upbringing.”
Voters gave the amendment about 69.9 % support, with roughly 2,066,436 voting yes and 890,502 voting no. The change adds Section 37 to Article I of the Texas Constitution.
Why this matters now
Advocates of the amendment argued that parental rights in Texas currently rest primarily on case law and statutory protections, which they say can shift over time. They pushed for the amendment to lock those rights into the constitution itself.
Critics contend that the language is vague, redundant given existing protections, and could be used to challenge state interventions in education, child welfare, and health decisions—particularly for minors.
Background
Before Proposition 15, Texas already had a “Parents’ Bill of Rights” statute under state law. The constitutional amendment was placed on the November 2025 ballot via Senate Joint Resolution 34, passed by the Texas Legislature.
What the amendment does
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Adds to the Texas Constitution an affirmation that parents have a “fundamental right” to make decisions about their child’s upbringing and bear the responsibility to nurture and protect them.
The ballot title read: “The constitutional amendment affirming that parents are the primary decision makers for their children.”
Supporters’ argument
Supporters say:
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It consolidates rights that are “scattered over a hundred years of case law.”
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It sends a clear message that government institutions should not override parental decision‑making except under specific, strong circumstances.
Opponents’ concerns
Opponents raise these points:
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The measure may be unnecessary because parents already have substantial legal protections.
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The language is vague and could lead to unintended consequences, such as limiting state action in child‑welfare cases or educational regulation.
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Some worry that the amendment could be used to challenge rights of children in areas such as health care, gender identity, or curriculum.
What happens next
With the measure’s passage, the Texas Constitution will include the new Section 37 in Article I. That means future cases regarding parental rights must be interpreted with the constitutional text in mind.
Legal scholars expect this change may prompt new court litigation in Texas over how broadly the amendment should be applied, particularly in contexts like education, child welfare, and health care decisions for minors.
Tags: Texas parental rights amendment, Proposition 15 Texas 2025, Texas Constitution amendment, parental decision‑making Texas, child upbringing Texas
TL/DR:
On November 4, 2025, Texas voters passed Proposition 15, a constitutional amendment establishing that parents have the “fundamental right” to make decisions about their children’s upbringing and a corresponding responsibility to nurture and protect them. The amendment adds language to Article I of the Texas Constitution under Section 37. Supporters say it secures long‑standing parental protections, while critics argue the wording is vague, redundant, and may have far‑reaching effects on education and health decisions for minors. The measure passed with roughly 70 percent approval and is expected to reshape how courts and state agencies handle parental rights issues moving forward.
