Trump Tried to Make a Deal With Planned Parenthood — Here's Why It Makes No Sense

President Donald Trump recently attempted to make an informal deal with Planned Parenthood: he would preserve federal funding for the organization if it stopped providing abortions, according to the New York Times.

Planned Parenthood immediately denied the White House's offer, and pointed out why Trump's proposed deal is wildly uninformed: Planned Parenthood already does not receive any public funding that goes toward abortion, thanks to a 1976 legislation known as the Hyde Amendment that forbids taxpayer money from funding abortions.

Trump, in his comments to the New York Times, made clear that he believes providing abortions is a detriment to women's health, despite all the evidence to the contrary. "There is an opportunity for organizations to continue the important work they do in support of women's health, while not providing abortion services," said the president.

Many people voiced their reactions to Trump's attempted deal on social media, including Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, who chimed in on the situation with a series of poignant tweets about what's really wrong with Trump's offer.

Planned Parenthood is proud to provide abortion—a necessary service that's as vital to our mission as birth control or cancer screenings. https://t.co/TWGOcVjBJ4

— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) March 6, 2017

We won't back down in the face of threats or intimidation, or turn our backs on the patients who count on us. Not today, tomorrow, not ever.

— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) March 6, 2017

We believe protecting the ability of women to determine our own futures is not only a Planned Parenthood value - it's an American value.

— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) March 6, 2017

Fact: Federal funds do not pay for abortion. At Planned Parenthood, we don't agree with this harmful policy—but it's the law & we follow it.

— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) March 6, 2017