Females carry said offspring. There is a biological link between mother and child and this reality trumps most other reasoning one could imagine.

I imagine technology stepping in to provide a crutch for dysfunctional parenting.

Given the tendency of the state to expand its bureaucracy into every aspect of life, how could they resist “helping” in this way?

In that case I can imagine a future where the state pushes aside mothers in the same way it has done to fathers. The logical conclusion to the argument that the state must act in the “best interests of the child” is that the state steps in to protect children from their mothers. Not just occassionally, but as a matter of course.

Image that the state treats all humans as full citizens from birth – why should a child suffer for the shortcomings of its mother? Why should children be treated as possessions? How much damage is done to children by their mothers as a result of poor parenting, poor nutrition, lack of stimulation, or abuse, before the children even reach school? How hard is it to undo this damage?

I can imagine that when technology allows it, the state will appoint a guardian for each child at birth, and the guardian will monitor the child’s progress and meet with the mother on a regular basis to agitate for the childs rights. The child development and environment will be constantly monitored and the mother “counselled” to improve her performance as required. I can imagine nutritional supplements and educational tools and supplementary childcare being provided to help bring the poor performers up to “benchmarks”.

In other words, the child’s primary relationship will be with the protective state, and the mother will not have a right to mold her child as she pleases.

You can think of this as a situation where the state has primary custody of the child, and the mother has access to the child on terms determined by the state.