Editing Texas Constitution talk:Article I, Section 37 (section)

== TLC ==

Comments by Supporters:

• Enshrining in the Texas Constitution the right of a parent to 
exercise care, custody, and control of the parent's children 
would provide a clear and solid legal foundation to protect 
parental rights.

• Courts have long recognized that parents have a constitutionally 
protected right to make decisions for their children. Such 
a fundamental right deserves a securely codified place in 
the Texas Constitution to ensure that it is not removed or 
diminished by future judicial decisions.

• By expressly recognizing parental rights and responsibilities in 
the text of the constitution, the proposed amendment would 
make parental rights easier to identify for parents and their 
lawyers, allowing them to cite the Texas Constitution to help 
defend their rights in court, and would provide clarity that 
could help avoid costly litigation.

• Protecting the rights of parents helps parents to meet their 
obligations to care for, nurture, and educate their children.

• The proposed amendment is not intended to expand or 
diminish any existing parental rights.

Comments by Opponents:

• The proposed amendment does not do enough to protect 
children's rights, which are not expressly addressed by the 
amendment. 

• While not raised during legislative consideration of the 
proposal, a review of other sources indicates concerns that 
the amendment language stating that the established parental 
rights correspond with the responsibility of parents to nurture 
and protect their children could result in a parent's rights 
being conditioned on the government determining that the 
parent's responsibility has been fulfilled.