Petitioners want to rename Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma for U.S. Rep. John Lewis

Lewis, 79, who represents Georgia’s 5th Congressional District, announced Dec. 28 he had stage 4 pancreatic cancer.

Brenda Jones, Lewis' communications director, said the congressman did not have any immediate comment, AL.com reported. According to his biography, Lewis was born outside Troy, Alabama, on Feb. 21, 1940. He has served in Congress since 1987 and is currently in his 17th term. His congressional district includes much of north Atlanta.

The petition began circulating Thursday; as of Wednesday, more than 4,300 people have signed it.

U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, who is from Selma, was skeptical about the petition, AL.com reported.

“My friend and mentor, Congressman John Lewis, deserves all the praise and recognition for being the beloved civil rights leader that he is," Sewell wrote. "While I understand and respect the movement to rename the bridge in Selma in his honor, I also believe it to be counterproductive. While a magnanimous gesture, such a symbolic effort, at this moment, when John is in the fight of his life, is not what he needs. I urge us all to band together in support of his recovery.

The bridge, built in 1939, was named for Edmund Winston Pettus, a U.S. senator from Alabama who served from 1897 to 1907. He was also a Confederate brigadier general during the Civil War.