RE: Then what is the purpose of the statute?
To make sure that the mother’s loyalties as an American citizen stays INTACT.
The statute says in effect, if the mother can show that she still intends to be a loyal American citizen and has shown that she indeed has by meeting the requirements outlined, then she still is an American citizen and her child is likewise an American citizen at birth.
If the citizen parent does not meet the requirement of statute there is no grant of citizenship.
In other words, the foreign-born child of a citizen parent is not necessarily a citizen.
Therefore, the citizenship of the citizen parent is not the agency causing of the grant of citizenship.
Citizen at birth, maybe but not a Natural Born Citizen.
Citizen and Natural Born Citizen are NOT the same.