Twelve Church Pastor David Rotteveel Faces Backlash Over Abortion Comments Shared on ProLifeTok

Twelve Church pastor David Rotteveel is facing new criticism online after a video connected to the TikTok page ProLifeTok began circulating with comments about abortion, criminal punishment, and whether women who receive abortion care should face jail time.

According to the clip being discussed online, Pastor David appears to compare two very different situations: a man allegedly giving a woman abortion pills without her knowledge, and a woman choosing to receive abortion care. His argument, as described by viewers, is that if the man should go to jail, then the woman receiving abortion care should also face punishment.

That comparison is now drawing backlash because critics say it blurs a major issue: consent.

Giving someone medication without their knowledge is not the same as a person making a decision about their own medical care. One situation involves alleged deception and possible bodily harm. The other involves a pregnant person seeking abortion care, which remains one of the most debated and heavily regulated healthcare issues in the country.

Twelve Church is based in Port Richey, Florida. The church’s own website says Twelve Church came from a dream Pastor David had more than 10 years ago, and describes the church as serving Pasco County and surrounding communities. The site also identifies Pastor David and his wife Stephanie as leaders connected to the church’s story.

The church’s beliefs page publicly lists general Christian beliefs about God, Jesus, the Bible, humanity, salvation, the Holy Spirit, and the Church. However, as of this writing, that page does not appear to include a direct public statement calling for women who receive abortion care to be criminally punished.

That distinction matters.

If these are Pastor David’s personal views being expressed through ProLifeTok, the public has a right to ask whether they are also the views of Twelve Church. If the church does not publicly state those views on its official pages, then members, visitors, and the broader community may want clarity on whether the pastor is speaking for himself, his online platform, or the church as an institution.

Twelve Church’s website does show that the church has partnered with Oasis Pregnancy Center to launch a pregnancy center in West Pasco, describing it as “a place of hope for women and families in Pasco County.” But supporting a pregnancy center is not the same thing as publicly endorsing jail time for women who receive abortion care.

That is where the controversy appears to be growing.

Online discussion around ProLifeTok has expanded beyond TikTok. A public Reddit community called r/prolifetiktok describes itself as a space for discussing David Rotteveel, the ProLifeTok account, and Twelve Church, with posts specifically centered on abortion-pill scenarios and criminal punishment arguments.

The abortion debate is already heated, especially in Florida. Florida’s six-week abortion ban took effect on May 1, 2024, and abortion access in the state remains heavily restricted. Florida law also includes strict rules around medication abortion, including that abortion medications must be dispensed in person by a physician and may not be sent through the mail or courier service.

Because of that legal environment, statements from religious leaders carry weight. When a pastor suggests that women who receive abortion care should be treated like criminals, that is not just a theological opinion. It becomes a public statement with real-world implications for women, families, doctors, and church members.

The central question is simple: Is Pastor David saying women should go to jail for abortion care?

And if so, is Twelve Church willing to publicly stand behind that position?

This is especially important because churches often present themselves as places of compassion, healing, and support. Twelve Church’s own “About” page says its worship experiences are “friendly, encouraging and full of hope,” and its values include the statement that “every person matters.”

For many critics, calling for women to be criminally punished for abortion care does not sound like hope. It sounds like punishment.

There is also a deeper concern about how women are being framed in the conversation. A person being secretly given medication without consent should be taken seriously. But using that example to argue that women who seek abortion care should also face jail time shifts the focus away from consent and toward criminalizing women.

That is why people are asking questions.

Is ProLifeTok connected directly to Pastor David? Are these his personal views? Does Twelve Church agree with them? Has the church informed its members that its pastor supports criminal punishment for women who receive abortion care? And why are these views more visible on a TikTok page than on the church’s official website?

At minimum, Twelve Church should address the controversy directly.

Silence leaves the community to piece together answers from TikTok clips, Reddit threads, and social media debates. If Pastor David believes women should be jailed for receiving abortion care, he should say that clearly and publicly through his official channels. If Twelve Church does not hold that position, the church should clarify that too.

Abortion is already a deeply personal and politically charged issue. But the public deserves transparency from faith leaders, especially when their online commentary appears to move from religious belief into criminal punishment.

For now, Pastor David Rotteveel and Twelve Church are facing a question that cannot be answered with vague church language:

Do they believe women who receive abortion care should go to jail — or not?