The veteran TV star has been under fire since last year (14) as more than 30 women have gone public with decades-old allegations of sexual assault against Cosby.

He has denied the claims through his lawyer, but the case took a new twist this week (beg06Jul15) with the release of documents from a 2005 court deposition in which Cosby admitted obtaining Quaaludes, a powerful sedative, with the intent of giving them to young women he wanted to have sex with.

Members of a group named PAVE (Promoting Awareness Victim Empowerment) have now launched a petition urging U.S. President Barack Obama to take the unprecedented step of stripping Cosby of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honour, which the star received in 2002.

The petition has been posted on the White House's official website, and a message with it reads, "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... Cosby admitted to procuring drugs to have sex with women without their consent. He has been accused of serial rape by dozens of others. We cannot yet give his accusers their day in court, but we can fight back in the court of public opinion. We urge the administration to take the unprecedented action of revoking this award."

The petition had garnered almost 2,000 signatures as WENN went to press.