President Donald Trump seems to have underestimated the importance of the Hyde Amendment to the pro-life movement. But on taxpayer funding for abortion, pro-lifers are not budging.

During a speech at the Kennedy Center, President Trump recently told Republicans that they had to be “a little flexible” on the Hyde Amendment, which prevents taxpayer funding of abortion, so that Congress can reach a healthcare deal. These words were shocking to the pro-life movement, especially since President Trump just signed an executive order reinforcing the Hyde Amendment last January.

The reaction from pro-life groups and lawmakers has demonstrated unprecedented unity. Pro-lifers are clarifying that they will not budge or compromise on this core issue.

Passed in 1976, the Hyde Amendment was a hard-earned Republican compromise by Representative Henry Hyde to prevent taxpayer funding of abortion via healthcare bills. Since passage, the Hyde Amendment has saved over 2.6 million lives. In the words of the Wall Street Journal’s William McGurn, “Hyde doesn’t touch the legality of abortion. But it says those who want one can’t demand their fellow citizens who consider it murder pay for it.”

Unfortunately, however, pro-abortion activists have spent years fighting to dismantle Hyde. The 2010 passage of Obamacare, for example, intentionally excluded Hyde Amendment protections and has since enabled the subsidizing of insurance plans that include abortion. Now, Democrats are once again trying to push the limits of pro-life policy by intentionally excluding Hyde from Obamacare subsidy extensions.

While most pro-life advocates and lawmakers are in agreement that Hyde is a “must,” unfortunately, in the House earlier this month 17 Republicans voted with Democrats to pass subsidy extensions without Hyde Amendment guardrails. Pro-life advocates fear that Republican senators will similarly fold under pressure and abandon Hyde—despite having control of Congress and a Republican in the White House.

Seeking to prevent this disastrous outcome, pro-life advocates are pressuring the Senate not to make the same mistake as the House. Pro-life advocates at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America unequivocally emphasized that their involvement in future elections depends on how the Senate votes on Hyde.

“The Hyde Amendment is non-negotiable,” SBA Pro-Life America President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement. “[T]his has been the consistent stance of the pro-life movement, backed by the strong consensus of Americans across partisan lines, for 50 years.”

Advocates from nearly every single major pro-life group have similarly come forward to denounce any hints of “flexibility” on what they characterize as a “bare minimum” pro-life standard. Live Action President Lila Rose said in a statement that “if you sacrifice Hyde, you sacrifice innocent human children.”

Ryan Anderson, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, said in a statement: “It is unjust to force tax payers to pay for abortion. It is also politically unpopular. Congressional Republicans should hold the line on Hyde.”

These concerns were voiced by many Republican lawmakers, most notably House Speaker Mike Johnson, who clarified that “we are not gonna change the standard that we’re not gonna use taxpayer funding for abortion. I’m just not gonna allow that to happen.”

And this past Monday, pro-life leaders from across the country hosted a webcast boasting hundreds of attendees to urge the Senate to defend and uphold the Hyde Amendment.

Though Hyde faces largely Democratic opposition in the House and Senate, some pro-life advocates such as McGurn have noted that the Hyde Amendment was originally a bipartisan effort, and ironically “largely a Democratic victory.” Indeed, 102 Democrats voted to pass Hyde compared to just 92 Republicans.

Today, Democrats are leading the opposition to Hyde—in violation of their history, as well as the will of the American people, the majority of whom oppose the use of taxpayer funds for abortion. Given the increasingly extreme views of the Democratic Party pertaining to life, this is unsurprising.

President Trump’s calls for flexibility appear to have shocked the movement, just as its unrelenting opposition has likely surprised the president.