REGISTER | SIGN IN DONATE MENU Texas: Proposition 3 Endangers Public Health and Privileges Religion—Vote “NO” For Immediate Release: October 28, 2021 Contact: Paul Fidalgo, Communications Director press@centerforinquiry.org - (207) 358-9785 Coming up next Tuesday, November 2, Texas voters will face a decision on Proposition 3, which would completely prohibit limits on religious services, even for emergencies and public health measures. The decision is actually not at all a difficult one. Texas voters should realize that extending this type of “blank check” to religious organizations not only is dangerous to public safety, but it affords a government privilege to religious groups that is not available to nonreligious actors such as public schools, businesses, and places of public accommodation. Therefore, CFI urges the voters of Texas to reject Proposition 3 at the ballot next week. Proposition 3 would amend the Texas constitution to prohibit any arm of the state from placing restrictions on in-person religious gatherings or services, no matter what type of public safety measures or emergency protocols are put in place. The language of Proposition 3 expressly encompasses “churches, congregations, and places of worship” in service of a “sincerely held religious belief.” This proposition is breathtakingly broad in scope and, if passed, would apply to regulations on the size of gatherings and other commonsense measures put in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “No one wants to go through lockdowns or limitations on gatherings, but permanently carving out this special privilege for religious groups is both cynical and short-sighted,” said Azhar Majeed, CFI’s director of government affairs. “This measure will make emerging from the current pandemic all the more painful and make us even more vulnerable to the next one.” CFI firmly maintains that the government should not be providing benefits and privileges to religious organizations that are not available to secular entities and that religious actors cannot be beyond the reach of public safety and health protocols that apply to everyone else. Texas voters should—and must—say no to this poorly conceived ballot measure. # # # The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a nonprofit educational, advocacy, and research organization headquartered in Amherst, New York, with executive offices in Washington, D.C. It is also home to the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason & Science, the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, and the Council for Secular Humanism. The Center for Inquiry strives to foster a secular society based on reason, science, freedom of inquiry, and humanist values. Visit CFI on the web at centerforinquiry.org. REASON. SCIENCE. SECULAR VALUES. LATEST NEWS David Copperfield Brings the Magic to Skeptical Inquirer Presents, Nov. 11 November 2, 2021 Can Science Be Saved? Naomi Oreskes on Skeptical Inquirer Presents, Oct. 28 October 20, 2021 Dark Omens and Silver Linings: Secular Humanists on an Uncertain Future in ‘Free Inquiry’ October 15, 2021 VIEW ALL NEWS RECEIVE EMAILS FROM US SUBSCRIBE BE A MEMBER DONATE LATEST BLOGS The Illusion of Cause and Everyday Thinking November 26, 2021 Goodbye Jesus November 24, 2021 Federal Court Nixes Texas Governor’s Politicization of COVID November 19, 2021 VIEW ALL BLOGS Quick Links CFI Main About Us Branch Locations Our Blogs Videos Press Releases News Contact Us Donate Update Donor or Member Info Site Map Privacy Policy FOLLOW US Center for Inquiry – Headquarters PO Box 741 Amherst, NY 14226 (716) 636-4869 Center for Inquiry – Executive Office 1012 14th Street, NW, Suite 205 Washington, DC 20005 Terms · Privacy Statement Center for Inquiry, Inc © 2021 · All Rights Reserved. Registered 501(c)(3). EIN: 22-2306795