In the spotlight: Ewa Sowińska

Controversial Children's Ombudsman, Ewa Sowińska, tendered her resignation on April 22. She will step down from the position on June 30.

Sowińska's decision followed sharp and sustained criticism of her work by Civil Platform (PO) and the now-defunct Left and Democrats  (LiD) coalition. The media was also broadly critical, accusing her of a failure to fulfill her duties properly and utilizing her post to propagate her private views.

Sowińska first discussed the matter with Speaker of the Sejm Bronisław Komorowski, who later announced her resignation. According to Komorowski, Sowińska would have been removed from office anyway, as two motions to that effect had been introduced in the Sejm and had the necessary political backing. Sowińska's impeachment would have been preceded by a parliamentary debate on her work, Komorowski told the press, implying that she had wanted to avoid that.

Sowińska, for her part, maintained that she had not done anything that would contravene the oath she took when accepting the ombudsman post. She said that the atmosphere created by politicians and the media had prevented her from discharging her duties. She also decried the bid to shorten her term as uncostitutional.

According to Sowińska's detractors, one of her most controversial decisions included her intention to compile a list of professions, such as teachers and sports instructors, that would be closed to homosexuals. She was also widely pilloried for her suggestion that children's television series "Teletubbies" be examined for homosexual elements. Sowińska claimed, however, that her intentions were misinterpreted by journalists.

Born in 1944 in Bydgoszcz, Sowińska graduated from the Medical University in Białystok in 1968 and worked as a doctor for many years. In 2004-2006, she served as a member of parliament as part of the League of Polish Families party.

Sowińska plans to return to medicine after she leaves office.