NEW YORK (Reuters) - Some large companies in the United States are pursuing plans to study stem cells drawn from early stage human embryos, a newspaper said Tuesday, thrusting them into the heated debate over the controversial branch of drug research.

Companies that have initiated research programs or have plans to are Becton, Dickinson & Co. (down $0.67 to $57.70, Research), Invitrogen Corp. (up $0.26 to $71.51, Research) and Johnson & Johnson (down $0.90 to $67.99, Research), the Wall Street Journal said.

General Electric Co. (down $0.30 to $35.52, Research) and the U.S.-based research operations of Swiss drug giant Novartis AG also have plans to initiate programs, the report said.

In response to General Electric's decision to pursue research on embryonic stem cells Debi Vinnedge, Executive Director of Children of God for Life has made the following statement:

As long time shareholders of General Electric stock, we are outraged to learn GE will pursue embryonic stem cell research. Despite the declining value of the current market price of their stock, we are left with no choice but to sell it and re-invest in companies that are not involved in unethical research. Whether or not you are a shareholder in GE or any of the other companies listed in today's Wall Street Journal (April 12) we encourage you to contact them at once, voice your complaint and threaten a boycott!

For big, publicly traded companies, the decision whether or not to enter stem-cell research has prompted extraordinary internal deliberations, including by corporate boards and in town-hall-style meetings. Some companies entering the field are striving to keep a low profile over their involvement.

"Drug companies are afraid of risk," says Laurie Zoloth, a professor of medical ethics at Northwestern University. "And stem cells put you at risk morally, politically and scientifically."

With household names like GE and Johnson & Johnson taking up stem cells, supporters are likely to see a major endorsement of their position. But stem-cell critics may seize on the chance to carry their ethics fight to companies' doorsteps. "Because of the moral issue, many of us would not want it funded at either the federal or the private level," says David Prentice, a senior fellow at the Family Research Council in Washington.

If you are a GE Shareholder, CogforLife suggests contacting investor relations:

Email -pauline.berardi@corporate.ge.com
Mailing Address:
General Electric Shareholder Information
Attention: William Cary, VP
3135 East Turnpike
Fairfield, CT 06828
Phone: 203 373-2475 or 203 373-2468

• "There Must Be Another Way:" Breakthrough Stem Cell Scientist Tells His Story. - Dec 11, 2007
• Translation of "induced Pluripotent (Adult) Stem Cells" - Nov 20, 2007
• Nobel Prize for Adult Stem Cell Research? - Oct 08, 2007
• Hilllary Clinton wants federal tax dollars to pay for research on stem cells from cloned human embryos - Oct 05, 2007
• StemLifeLine pushing parents to use extra embryos to "protect the future" - Sep 11, 2007
• Embryonic Stem Cells Repair Human Heart? Not Hardly - Aug 27, 2007
• Lawsuit moves MI Gov. Granholm to remove embryonic stem cell petition from website - Aug 13, 2007
• Redefining the Human Embryo - Jul 04, 2007