Historic judgment – Passive Euthanasia is legalized in India

In a historic judgment, Supreme Court of India has given a legal sanction for passive Euthanasia. Passive Euthanasia is withdrawal of life-support system or life-sustaining drugs for patients who are brain-dead or in a permanent vegetative state, and whom doctors have lost hope of reviving even with the most advance medical aid. However, the permission for passive euthanasia can be given by only High Courts. The court rejects Active Euthanasia, where lethal drug is injected in to the patient to induce death.

This is a good move indeed. As such, there is no law in India on the issue, and for the time being, courts have to lay down the procedures.

The Supreme Court also recommended to the government to do away with the Section 309 of Indian Penal Code (IPC) under which attempt to suicide is punishable. The court said that: A person attempts suicide in depression, and hence needs help, rather than punishment. The government should speedily change the law.

International Women’s Day

Today, March 8 is the International Women’s Day. Men who have women in any avatar – mother, wife or sister – by their side are lucky. “When time comes”, it is well known that women are much stronger than men in almost all areas! Surprising? But it is a fact. Today’s women are empowered.

Happy Women’s Day.

Challenges of global warming – French wines

The steady rise in global temperatures is threatening vineyards around Bordeaux that produce some of the most esteemed and expensive wines on earth. Higher temperatures cause grapes to ripen earlier, and summer droughts are detrimental to the vine's growth process. The consequences of global warming are already being felt. Harvest season already comes ten days earlier than before in almost all wine regions, says the experts.

Grape growers began to notice unusual patterns above-and-beyond the region's unpredictable weather nearly three decades ago, well before scientists began to sound the climate change alarm. Experts say that the region may be unsuitable for wine-growing by 2050. Winegrowers are already switching to heat-resistant grape varieties as a precaution.

Not everyone is aware that wine production also emits large quantities of CO2, the main gas responsible for climate change. The greenhouse gas, CO2 is produced by fermenting grapes. Efforts are on to trap, convert the CO2 into something solid and store it deep underground.

If every industry thinks the same way - to trap the GHG emissions and store them instead of releasing into the environment - we can delay the onset of climate change a little more.