As further information, the seal is probably butted up against the "bulkhead" of the pump so that it's square to the face of the pump.
The screwdriver is supposed to be inserted between the edges of the seal. By driving the outer edge of the seal out, hopefully some portion of the rest of the seal comes with it until you open up some space past the "bulkhead."
If you've mangled the entire outer edge of the seal, you may be able to wrangle the rest of the seal out in pieces with a set of needlenose pliers, even "tearing" some or all of the outer edge of the seal along with it. In my experience, once you get to that point the seal pretty much loses its structural integrity and you can deform it out.
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