Isn’t it great when a celebrity makes a donation to a nonprofit organization that helps people? Well, Tucker Max, author of “I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell” and other publications jam-packed with debaucherous tales, attempted to make a $500,000 donation to Planned Parenthood late in 2011. Max’s offer was rejected.

Why would Planned Parenthood turn down such a generous donation? There are a few reasons.

This move was not one of absolute altruism on Max’s part. In exchange for his donation, Planned Parenthood would have had to name a building after Max. In addition, he would reap some benefits from a tax break.

Adding to the possible reasons Planned Parenthood turned down Max’s proposal could be the possibility of the later jokes Max could make. Imagine the possibility of reference jokes from the self-proclaimed womanizer about how hooking up with him isn’t a worry as he has a clinic. The insulting comedy that could ensue would be on par with presidential gaffes on the campaign trail.

But even with the benefit to Max, why the hell would Planned Parenthood turn down $500,000? Yes, the person donating has a history of insulting women — and men — and going on wild sex romps, but many celebrities have spotty histories.

Some folks in forums across the Web have implied Planned Parenthood made the right choice in rejecting the money. Being associated with or “in debt” to someone like Max with a history of demeaning women could be bad for Planned Parenthood’s image.

But really think about it. Planned Parenthood is already portrayed across the Internet as a place for murdering babies and housing prostitutes. Is naming a clinic after Tucker Max really going to drive more people away than are the asshat protesters parading around in front of the clinics with pictures of creepy fetuses and toting religious nonsense about whore-ish women?

Max might have been an awful jackass on many occasions, but he supports the work of Planned Parenthood. He said a clinic helped him and his girlfriend out back in the day when he didn’t have the riches and fame. Max even said his days of writing about wild parties and crazy sex are done, that he is retiring.

Whether you believe he is done with his wild days of being a jerk, celebrities that attempt to change their evil ways tend to be given the chance to prove themselves true. Yes, this means that Max is also using his donation to clean up his image a bit. But is it so terrible to do something nice, and also hope that those you are nice to would help you out a bit as well?

Maybe Planned Parenthood doesn’t need the money. With the repeated attacks from the GOP to cut funding to the clinics, perhaps the fine folks of America are ready and rearing to come to Planned Parenthood’s defense with repeated donations. Yeah, and maybe Ann Coulter, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum will change their mind on abortion.

Turning down this money is a poor play at politics. Those who support Planned Parenthood would not stop supporting the clinics because it accepted a donation from a celebrity many of the feminists that frequently rally around the clinics would call a misogynistic asshole. Planned Parenthood has been under fire, but this is hardly going to tarnish its image any further.

This isn’t a political campaign for office, where accepting a donation from the KKK or from known criminal elements would damage you down the road. Folks aren’t going to vote Planned Parenthood out of or into office; the clinics aren’t going away unless they lose funding.

Again, what person who supports Planned Parenthood is going to stop supporting it because Tucker Max has a clinic named after him? The functions of the clinic will remain the same. The treatment of the women will remain courteous and professional; policy at the clinic will not be based on Max’s style of abusive wordplay.

It could be suggested that Max go ahead and make an anonymous donation, losing the clinic being named after him, while still getting a tax break and helping out women.

Well, that was bandied about, and Planned Parenthood still rejected even an anonymous donation.

What this appears to be, is that those in charge of Planned Parenthood’s decisions don’t like Max because he has made some jokes about girls being fat or used the word “bitch” a few too many times. Planned Parenthood wants to look good to its “friends” and pass judgement over someone they probably only know about on a very surface level; pot calling the kettle maybe? 

Planned Parenthood has a quality mission in mind, but to continue with that mission, it has to let others help — even when that help isn’t entirely altruistic.

In the end, Max has made donations to a number of other charities, and Planned Parenthood continues to struggle to keep clinics open and help women in need. Maybe some celebrity with a spotless record of being “Mr. Nice Guy” will step in — Will Smith maybe? — to save the day. Though I’m willing to bet if Lady Gaga offered to donate, Planned Parenthood wouldn’t turn her down, despite the sexual and wild party-like overtones to her music. That is just speculation, however, on my part.

Here’s to hoping Planned Parenthood gets its “white knight” before anything else bad happens.