The court's eventual ruling may cut off abortion access for tens of millions of American women.
The US Supreme Court appears poised to accept a Mississippi law that would bar abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy, even in cases of rape or incest.
The first, 1973's Roe v Wade, gave women in the US an absolute right to an abortion in the first three months of pregnancy, and limited rights in the second trimester. Mr Stewart took direct aim at the existing foetal viability standard, arguing that it is not "tethered" to the Constitution or any other historical precedent.
However, she faced pointed questioning from several of the justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts, on why the viability standard is appropriate. Carol Tobias, president of anti-abortion group National Right to Life, told the BBC she was optimistic that the court would step in "to protect unborn children".
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