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As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord on March 25, we also mark the 25th anniversary of Pope St. John Paul II's encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life). This prophetic document on the value and inviolability of every human life remains an indispensable source of truth. It reaffirms the "greatness and the inestimable value of human life" (EV 2) and addresses present-day legal, ethical, and moral threats to life, including abortion, artificial reproduction techniques, contraception, the death penalty, euthanasia, sterilization, and suicide. 

Rooted in the Gospel and the rich tradition of Catholic social teaching, Catholic principles of migration include: Persons have the right to find opportunities in their homeland. Persons have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families. Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders. Refugees and asylum seekers should be afforded protection. The human dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants should be respected.

To live in a manner worthy of our human dignity, and to spend our final days on this earth in peace and comfort, surrounded by loved ones -- that is the hope of each of us. While Florida law prohibits assisted suicide, the so-called "Death with Dignity" movement has targeted Florida as a priority state to change our laws to allow a patient to actively end his or her life.