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Author Daniel Handler, whose "A Series of Unfortunate Events" books sold 60 million copies by breaking all the rules for children鈥檚 literature, announced a $1 million donation to Planned Parenthood this week.

Mr. Handler 鈥� the writer behind pen name 鈥淟emony Snicket鈥� 鈥� and his wife Lisa Brown first tweeted about their decision on Monday:

As Ms. Brown , 鈥淭his year, Planned Parenthood has gone through a series of unfortunate events, and it felt right to make our support more public and more dramatic.鈥�

The couple has supported the health care provider for years. In 2007, , Mr. Handler mused about his newfound wealth and the apparently tremendous amount he and Brown chose to give Planned Parenthood:

I鈥檝e acquired it by writing children鈥檚 books about terrible things happening to聽orphans, and this seems like such a crazy and possibly monstrous way of acquiring money that I give a lot of it away... If your salary equaled the amount of money my wife and I gave Planned Parenthood one year, you鈥檇 be in the richest 1 percent in the world ...

Planned Parenthood, whose low-cost services make it a key player in debates over abortion and reproductive health, has been under particular fire from Republicans lately after videos appeared online alleging that the organization illegally sells fetal tissue for profit.

Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards on Tuesday, calling the claims 鈥渃ategorically untrue.鈥�

The battle reached new heights when House Republicans threatened to shut down the federal government unless it removed funding for the clinics, a tactic narrowly avoided in a last-minute bill agreed to Wednesday, which will postpone a long-term deal for two more months.听

Medical clinics and their staff have also reported an uptick in violent threats. , there have been 58 arsons targeting abortion providers since 1995.

Despite the uproar in Congress and the media, four recent polls suggest that Americans鈥� views on Planned Parenthood have changed little in the past few months, with a 鈥渞obust majority鈥� supporting federal funding. , such as rape, NPR reports; 97 precent of Planned Parenthood鈥檚 patients seek other services, such as screening for cancer or sexually transmitted infections (STIs).听

Handler and Brown told that the organization鈥檚 鈥渞ecent deceitful pummelling was frankly more than we could take,鈥� and it would appear that many of his online fans agree, although plenty tweeted back their disappointment.

鈥淲ay to prevent a series of unfortunate events!鈥� one tweeted, while another alluded to the mysterious V.F.D., a fictional organization at the heart of Handler鈥檚 new series "All the Wrong Questions" by calling his gift a 鈥淰irtuous Financial Decision.鈥�

Some took a more serious turn. 鈥淎s a single mom who has utilized their services when others turned me away, THANK YOU,鈥� one posted.

The 13 books of Handler鈥檚 first children鈥檚 series made headlines for their appealingly sinister plots, erudite vocabulary, and style that the Atlantic branded 聽Titles include "The聽Carnivorous聽Carnivore," "The Ersatz Elevator," and "The Vile Village."

Handler shrugs off criticism that the stories are way above kids鈥� comprehension. 鈥淚 think children are less embarrassed to go look up the truth,鈥� .听