Petition Circulates to Have President Obama Revoke Bill Cosby's Medal of Freedom

A petition to have President Barack Obama revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom from comedian Bill Cosby is swiftly gaining signatures on the internet.

The petition, launched Wednesday on the whitehouse.gov website and entitled "Revoke the Presidential Medal of Freedom From Bill Cosby," calls on Obama to revoke the honor given to Cosby in 2002 when George W. Bush was president.

The petition, which has already gained 2,000 signatures, comes after months of criticism of Cosby for his alleged sexual misconduct with several women. A recent Associated Press report indicates Cosby admitted in a 2005 court document to using sedatives on women.

"The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest award bestowed on civilians for their contributions to society. Bill Cosby does not deserve to be on the list of distinguished recipients," the petition states. "PAVE: Promoting Awareness | Victim Empowerment, a national nonprofit dedicated to sexual assault prevention and victim empowerment, is rallying supporters to remedy this injustice. Cosby admitted to procuring drugs to have sex with women without their consent. He has been accused of serial rape by dozens of others."

Angela Rose, the founder and executive director of PAVE, told CNN in an interview that revoking Cosby's medal would serve as an "opportunity to send a very important message, especially to young people, to tell them that Cosby's actions should not be celebrated."

"We are hopeful that the President and the administration, which has taken bold and powerful stances on the issue of sexual assault on campuses and the military, will also take a powerful stance on this," she added.