Some people are requesting that the US government revoke Bill Cosby‘s Medal of Freedom, after more details have emerged in the rape allegations against the comedian. On Wednesday (July 15th), President Obama addressed those seeking the revocation of Cosby’s medal. “There’s no precedent for revoking a medal. We don’t have that mechanism,” the President answered. While most people may have expected President Obama to end his statement with that answer, he instead commented on what he defines as rape. “If you give a woman or a man, for that matter, without his or her knowledge, a drug and then have sex with that person without consent, that’s rape. This country, any civilized country, should have no tolerance for rape,” President Obama stated.
Even though Cosby continues to deny the rape allegations, an old deposition has surfaced and it now appears the rape accusations made by countless women are true. During the deposition, Cosby admitted he had prescriptions for quaaludes (a sedative), and he testified under oath that he gave a woman the sedative. Cosby was then asked if he was going to use the quaaludes for young women he wanted to have sex with, and the comedian answered yes.
Over thirty women (37 victims have come forward) have stated they were drugged and raped by Cosby, and some of the cases date back to the late 1960s. Some of the victims include supermodel Janice Dickinson, supermodel Beverly Johnson, former Playboy Playmate Victoria Valentino, Carla Ferrigno (wife of The Incredible Hulk star Lou Ferrigno, and Lilli Bernard. The majority of women have the same account of how Cosby assaulted them. Some of the women first met Cosby when they appeared on The Cosby Show. The victims claim the comedian offered to mentor them, and in several cases he would have the women meet him at his home. Once he was able to get the women alone with him, he offered them a cappuccino (the sedative was placed in the cappuccino without the women’s consent), and most of the women woke up the morning in bed feeling dazed and confused.
Several celebrities have shown support for Cosby after the rape allegations resurfaced, but now some of them have changed their minds. “About Bill Cosby. Sadly his own testimony offers PROOF of terrible deeds, which is ALL I have ever required to believe the accusations,” Jill Scott tweeted. The Views’ Whooping Goldberg, who has continuously defended Cosby, also had a change of heart. “If this is to be tried in court of public opinion, I got to say all of the information that’s out there kind of points to guilt,” Goldberg said on the show.