Texas Coalition Launches Campaign About Constitutional Amendment

A diverse group of organizations is rallying to inform voters about Proposition 15, which they say will be harmful to students and families

Texas Coalition Launches Campaign About Constitutional Amendment
Photo by Element5 Digital / Unsplash

As Texans head to the polls for early voting in the state’s constitutional amendment election, a diverse group of organizations in the state is rallying together to inform voters about one of the propositions on the ballot, which they say will be harmful to students and families.

In this year’s election, Texas voters will encounter seventeen different constitutional amendments. But the fifteenth is the one that has brought together organizations like Planned Parenthood Texas Votes, the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, and the Transgender Education Network of Texas.

Proposition 15 would specifically amend the Texas Constitution and stipulate that parents have the right “to exercise care, custody, and control of the parent’s child, including the right to make decisions concerning the child’s upbringing and the responsibility to nurture and protect the parent’s child.”

Opponents of this amendment note that the vague language opens the door towards further government overreach. They also argue that the proposition could further erode Texas public education and access to health care.

The Texas Signal spoke to Jane’s Due Process, an organization that provides reproductive health care to Texas teens and is also a part of the coalition urging Texans to vote “no” on Proposition 15, about why they are taking part in the campaign to educate voters. Maude Shepherd, a Reproductive Justice Fellow with the organization, told the Signal that even though the proposition is not direct legislation, it still “sets the stage for more harmful laws and lawsuits.” 

Texas is already a state that has seen significant impacts under the banner of “parental consent.” Earlier this year, the Texas legislature passed Senate Bill 12, which not only bans DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) in hiring practices for schools, but also prevents schools from implementing programs or policies that reference “race, ethnicity or sexual orientation.”

Because of SB 12, LGBTQ+ clubs (like a Gay-Straight Alliance) are now prohibited at all Texas public schools. But, the legislation, which went into effect on September 1, has also led to further consequences. School nurses are confused and trepidatious about what could run afoul of SB 12. Trans Texas children are also being forced to endure being “deadnamed” by their teachers or administrators even if they have parental authorization to be addressed by their preferred name and gender.

If Proposition 15 passes in November, groups like Jane’s Due Process fear that there will be even more restrictions on gender-affirming care and increased school censorship (like restricting what history can be taught or what books could be available) that can further isolate LGBTQ+ students.

Even accessing information about health or sexuality could be outlawed for students. Texas has already been the legal battleground for establishing parental consent when it comes to teenagers accessing contraception through Title X, a federal program that was established in the 1970’s for family planning. The Amarillo father who sued in that case did not have children who accessed contraception through Title X, but he still objected to its presence in Texas.

For Shepherd, Proposition 15 could accelerate these types of scenarios, allowing the “opinions of a minority of parents to overcome the rights of others.” She and many other legal experts could envision a future with full national restrictions for children and families based on what happens in states like Texas.

Another state that recently adopted parental rights legislation is Idaho. Under their 2024 law known as Senate Bill 1329, parental consent is required for practically any medical treatment. This has profoundly impacted the state’s crisis and suicide hotline.

According to the Idaho Crisis and Suicide Hotline, over 1,500 Idahoans between 5 and 17 called the hotline in the year after SB 1329 went into effect. However, not all of those callers could continue to stay on the line unless they had permission from a parent.

And there are other consequences from the parental consent law. It also prohibits Idaho minors from accessing sexual assault kits, unless they have approval from a parent.

And while reproductive rights groups like Jane’s Due Process are urging Texans to vote against Proposition 15, conservative organizations are doing the same. The True Texas Project encourages voting against Proposition 15. According to them it is “unnecessary because this is a right already established by God). Another conservative group, Accountability Matters, opposes Proposition 15 because it represents extreme government overreach and an infringement on personal liberties.

Shepherd believes that the opposition to Proposition 15 from “across the ideological spectrum” is significant. But when asked what she would tell a potential voter wavering, she says that Texas law “already has comprehensive protections for parental rights.” But for her and Jane’s Due Process, Proposition 15 far supersedes parental rights. “It’s going to intrude on some families in favor of others to harm the health and safety of young people.”  

Early voting in the constitutional amendment election for Texas goes until Friday, October 31. Election Day is Tuesday, November 4.