Health

OTTAWA — The political battle lines over gender identity came into sharper focus Wednesday as Pierre Poilievre came out against treating young people with puberty blockers — a position that prompted a broadside from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

The mayor of Belleville, Ont., says the city needs to be part of a "larger plan" to deal with an ongoing addictions and mental-health crisis after emergency crews responded to 17 overdoses in 24 hours.

Quebec is asking the federal government to change the Criminal Code so the province can begin allowing people to request medical assistance in dying before their condition renders them incapable of giving consent.

TORONTO — Buckingham Palace's announcement that King Charles has been diagnosed with "a form of cancer" is a significant boost for public awareness about the importance of early detection, cancer organizations in Canada say.

A medical journal has retracted two studies claiming to show the harms of the abortion pill mifepristone, citing conflicts of interest by the authors and flaws in their research.

The U.S.

CALGARY — A Calgary researcher has developed a new tool that can detect the presence of genetic mutations within hours instead of weeks.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.

For some people with COVID-19, antiviral pills that can be taken at home can lessen the chances of winding up in the hospital.

Tens of thousands of Americans are hospitalized with COVID-19 every week. Thousands die from it every month. And yet, an antiviral treatment proven to lessen the chances of severe outcomes is going underused.