Dianne Feinstein's career is a history of firsts. She was the first woman to serve on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the first woman elected Mayor of San Francisco, the first woman President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She has paved the way for other women to enter politics. Her record on women's issues includes strong and consistent support for:

Reproductive Rights

Roe v. Wade - Senator Feinstein strongly supports Roe v. Wade.

NARAL - Senator Feinstein has received a 100 percent rating from the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) every year she has been in the Senate.

Access to Contraception - Senator Feinstein is a cosponsor of legislation to guarantee that an insurance plan provides access to contraceptive drugs and other devices if the plan provides benefits for other prescription drugs and devices.

Access to Medical Clinics - Senator Feinstein supported the Medical Clinic Access Act, which prohibits the use or threat of force or physical obstruction to intentionally injure, intimidate or interfere with any person because he or she is or has been trying to obtain or provide abortion-related services.

Contraception & Coverage

Medical Coverage - Senator Feinstein is a cosponsor of legislation to guarantee that an insurance plan provides access to contraceptive drugs and other devices if the plan provides benefits for other prescription drugs and devices.

Benefits for Federal Employees - Senator Feinstein voted in favor of Federal Employee Health Benefit contraceptive and abortion coverage.

Military Personnel - Senator Feinstein supports allowing abortions at overseas military hospitals.

Public Funding for Family Planning

Women on Medicaid - Senator Feinstein voted in favor of federal funding of abortions for women on Medicaid. She also sponsored legislation that would preserve low-income women's access to family planning.

International Planning Agencies - Senator Feinstein supports funding international family planning programs.

District of Columbia - Senator Feinstein voted to allow Washington, D.C. to use its own tax revenue to fund abortions for low-income women.

Breast Cancer Treatment & Research

Coverage of Mammograms - Senator Feinstein is the sponsor of legislation to require insurance plans to cover mammograms for women 40 years old and older. This legislation was signed into law. She is also the sponsor of legislation to require health insurance plans to cover certain cancer-related screenings, including screening for breast, cervical, prostate, and colorectal cancer.

Drive-Through Mastectomies - Senator Feinstein is the cosponsor of legislation to eliminate "drive-through mastectomies" and require health plans to cover second opinions by specialists to confirm or refute a cancer diagnosis. She was also the cosponsor of legislation to require health plans to pay for breast reconstruction. The breast reconstruction legislation was passed into law.

Breast Cancer Stamp - Senator Feinstein sponsored legislation to create the breast cancer research stamp. The stamp has raised more than $30 million.

Women's Rights

Equal Rights Amendment - Senator Feinstein supports the Equal Rights Amendment.

Violence Against Women - Senator Feinstein is a cosponsor of the Violence Against Women Act, which would strengthen law enforcement in domestic violence cases, build battered women's shelters and provide services to victims of abuse.

Hate Crimes - Senator Feinstein is cosponsor of legislation to bolsters federal law to provide for the enhanced investigation and prosecution of incidents in which people are victimized because of their race, religion, gender, sexual orientation or disability.

Military Service - Senator Feinstein believes that women should not be discriminated against by the military.

Around the World - Senator Feinstein has consistently fought for the rights of women around the world.  She supports microcredit assistance programs, which are programs to provide small loans to poor women to allow them to start businesses, and international family planning programs, and she is a cosponsor of a resolution urging the Senate to ratify the Convention to Eliminate all Forms of Discrimination Against Women.