Pushed to the Brink: Cassie Ventura and the Cost of Testifying While Pregnant

Cassie Ventura is whole 9 months pregnant. And yet, she’s sitting in a courtroom testifying against her abuser, Sean “Diddy / Puffy” Combs who is facing charges of racketeering and sex trafficking that took place over that past 20+ years. Cassie was a victim of Diddy’s reckless behavior. And now? She’s a victim of the courts. They are no better than him.

Cassie should be at home with her feet up, surrounded by her children in a relaxed home environment preparing to bring new life into the world but instead she is in a cold bright courtroom, recounting probably one of the most traumatic experiences of her life in public while carrying a life in her womb. Like the rest of the people who are in their third trimester, she should be doing kick counts, however she is subjected to reading aloud graphic and private text messages between her and a past lover in front of her husband with whom she is bearing a child and dozens of strangers.

This just don’t feel right.

Two things are true: Diddy deserves the right to a fair trial and Cassie deserves support and protection. She should not have had to physically sit on that stand, face her abuser, and relive trauma. All it does is negatively impact her baby’s growth and rest. Despite it being a federal case there should still be accommodations for this kind of situation. Perhaps recorded video testimony, written statements, deposition alternatives.

The U.S. justice system routinely abuses pregnant people:

• Calling them to jury duty or witness stands late in pregnancy

• Denying pumping breaks or milk storage for incarcerated lactating parents (which is ILLEGAL, by the way)

• Shackling people in labor in jail or prison, despite any federal and state bans

• Denying basic medical or mental health accommodations during court proceedings

But we know how the system works when you’re a Black or brown woman. When you’re a survivor. When you’re pregnant. It doesn’t work for you, it works ON you.

As a Spinning Babies Parent Educator, Doula, Birth Educator from a practitioner approach, let me tell you how sitting through this testimony can be problematic for a pregnancy especially in the third trimester.

Sitting for hours on end, especially late in pregnancy, can negatively impact fetal positioning, cause poor blood circulation, pelvic alignment, and maternal discomfort. Why does this matter?

Suboptimal positioning in late pregnancy can increase the chances of a longer or more painful labor, back labor, stalled dilation, and the need for medical interventions leading to longer or more complicated labors and in turn increases risks for poor outcome and serious postpartum complications.

Tools like Spinning Babies exist for this reason. It’s a an approach to birth and pregnancy used to help baby move into optimal positions, something that becomes harder when the pregnant body is sedentary and stressed. Cassie, like many of us, should have support and access to tools like this, not uncomfortable courtroom chairs and intense cross examinations.

When a pregnant person sits for extended periods, especially in a hard chair with no movement or support, it can cause the baby to settle into a posterior or asynclitic position, meaning their head is turned the wrong way or tilted at an angle. This is exactly what Spinning Babies was designed to prevent. I happen to teach Spinning Babies Parent Classes and techniques like:

• Forward leaning inversions

• Side lying releases

• Rebozo sifting

• Pelvic tilts and walking

…can all help keep baby in the optimal position for a smoother labor.

I hope Cassie was given time and space to do these kinds of movements at some breaks in the day or better yet, not asked to endure this at all in her condition.

And if Cassie herself or anyone reading this is currently in late pregnancy and stuck in a sedentary job or stress filled situation, here are a few things that can help:

• Take movement breaks every 30–45 minutes, even if it’s just to stand, stretch, or walk around

• Use a birth ball or ergonomic chair when possible

• Practice pelvic tilts or gentle stretches before bed

• Try Spinning Babies daily essentials (available online for free or low cost)

• Stay hydrated and elevate your legs when resting

But honestly, this shouldn’t fall on the pregnant person to solve. Systems should be built to support, not harm pregnant bodies. Which brings me back to why the hell do they have Cassie on the stand while pregnant?!

Pregnancy is already an intense physical and emotional journey. Add public scrutiny, flashbacks of abuse, legal pressure, and the responsibility of justice and you have a cocktail of cortisol that no womb should be forced to endure.

The maternal health field knows this. The court system should know this. And yet, here we are.

While we’re on the subject, too few people know that pregnancy and abuse is its own silent epidemic. Intimate partner violence often begins or gets worse during pregnancy. The data is clear. Pregnancy increases vulnerability to abuse. Homicide is one of the leading causes of death among pregnant women in the U.S. especially for Black and brown women. Yet survivors like Cassie are expected to carry the emotional and legal weight of their own abuse while also carrying life.

But it isn’t just about Cassie. It’s about all pregnant folks who have to deal with unnecessary toxic stress. It’s about every survivor who has been silenced, disbelieved, or forced to choose between justice and safety. It’s about a system that claims to be pro-life while treating pregnant people like trash. It’s about the pregnant folks who keep working through contractions because maternity leave is just a damn fantasy. It’s about those who smile through back pain and Braxton Hicks because they’re afraid too speak up. It’s about those silently surviving abusive relationships because the system isn’t a safe haven to ask for help.

Yes, Cassie’s bravery is unmatched. But bravery is not something that we should expect from anyone who is pregnant. We should expect for them to be protecting their peace and enjoying the little flutters that keep us in touch with what’s going on with the being inside of us.

Pregnancy is not an illness, but it is a sacred time.

It’s a moment in life that deserves respect, slowness, and tenderness. It’s a time when the body and mind are stretched beyond it's limits by growing organs, making milk, and sustaining life. And still, too much is expected of us during this time.

Mothers, we carry it all. The babies, trauma, silence, a and expectations. But we shouldn’t have to carry the weight of the world. You don’t have to prove your strength by sacrificing your well being.

To every pregnant person out there, you don’t have to be everywhere. You are allowed to rest. You are allowed to say no. You deserve systems that make space for your humanity.

Demand accommodations. Protect your peace.

And to the systems forcing people to choose between “justice” and health, do better.

I honor Cassie’s courage and I hope her baby arrives safely and healthily. I pray that Cassie finds rest and healing in a world that far too often treats us as women, as mothers, with little respect.