Suffocating while "semi-vegetative" is assumed to be painless, much like we assume euthanasia to be painless. In any case, I'm sorry about your mother. There's

Suffocating while "semi-vegetative" is assumed to be painless, much like we assume euthanasia to be painless. In any case, I'm sorry about your mother. There's not much I can say about your stepfather, except that you probably shouldn't hate him for trying to hold on to someone he loved.