Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein is a native of San Francisco, elected in 1969 to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and, in 1978, as the first woman to serve as the board’s president. Later that year, she later became San Francisco’s first female mayor when she succeeded Mayor George Moscone after he and Supervisor Harvey Milk were assassinated in city hall. As mayor, she hosted the 1984 Democratic National Convention in San Francisco. In 1990, she won the Democratic nomination for governor of California, but lost to then U.S. Sen. Pete Wilson in the general election. Feinstein won a 1992 special election held to fill Wilson’s seat in the Senate after he was elected governor — a seat she still holds today. She is up for re-election to her fourth six-year term in November.

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In her candidate’s statement for the 2012 Senate race, Feinstein states that she will remain “unwavering in protecting a woman’s right to choose against all assaults,” a statement that underscores her solid history in the Senate of promoting abortion. On March 1, for example, Feinstein joined her Democratic colleagues in the Senate in voting down the Blunt Amendment. The amendment would have amended President Obama’s healthcare law with a provision prohibiting federal regulations such as the recent HHS contraception mandate.

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Feinstein’s “unwavering” commitment to abortion rights spans her career. In 2009, she voted against a measure that would have prohibited the use of any U.S. money sent to the United Nations to promote and perform forced abortions. In 2008, Feinstein voted no on a bill that would have included an unborn child as eligible for child health benefits under a federally-sponsored children’s health insurance program. The same year, she voted against funding the Child Custody Protection Act, a law that prevents children from being taken across state lines to obtain an abortion in violation of state parental notification laws.

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In 2007, Feinstein voted in favor of a bill that would have extended the use of embryonic stems cells in scientific research. The same year, she also voted against a bill that would have prohibited the Department of Health and Human Services from providing federal grants to organizations that perform abortions.

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In 2004, Feinstein voted against the Unborn Victims of Crime Act, a bill that would have made it a crime to kill an unborn child during the commission of another crime. She voted no even though the bill excluded any acts of the mother with respect to her pregnancy.

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In 2003, Feinstein voted against a bill that would have banned partial birth abortions. She voted against similar bans on the grisly procedure in 1997 and 1995.

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Feinstein is endorsed by Emily’s List, a political action committee dedicated to promoting and supporting politicians who are pro-abortion. She also has a 100% rating from NARAL for her pro-abortion voting record. The National Right to Life Committee rates her 0%.