Women's History Month reminds us that women have had to fight not only for the right to vote, but also to own property, control our fertility, get an education, work outside the home, keep custody of our children, have violence toward us taken seriously, and even to say what's on our minds.

For me, this month presents an opportunity to take a closer look at some of the advances women have made, and at some of the women who were involved in our progress in one way or another.

Most of the women I am writing about are famous for something having to do with the birth experience, but their stories also relate to the development of a woman's voice -- that is, getting to the point where expressing ourselves and asking for what we need is a normal event.

On the road from Anne Hutchinson to the belligerent Susie Greene from HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," many women risked a great deal to make some part of the world safe for outspoken women.