After a series of unfortunate events for Planned Parenthood, author Lemony Snicket announced he and his wife will be donating $1 million to the organization.
Snicket, whose real name is Daniel Handler, and his wife Lisa Brown, made the announcement via Twitter, writing, “We’ve been very fortunate and good fortune should be shared with noble causes.”
Handler wrote the hit series A Series of Unfortunate Events. Brown further explained the couple's decision to BuzzFeed.
After the announcement, Planned Parenthood thanked them on Twitter and many supporters also expressed support and gratitude.
Planned Parenthood has been receiving heavy backlash from anti-abortion activists and conservatives after videos they claimed were manipulated were released, reportedly showing the organization illegally selling fetal tissues. Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards appeared in front of congress for a congressional hearing on the matter Tuesday.
Republicans are attempting to defund Planned Parenthood and have threatened a government shutdown over the issue.
The NY Times reported that the announcement was made the day before the congressional hearing and has been widely shared the last two days by supporters and critics alike.
A social media campaign has also been waged with the hashtag #standwithPP to spread support, and Facebook users showed support by turning profile pictures to pink for Tuesday’s “Pink Out” day.