Sylvia Slifko couldn’t know that day as she listened to a Focus on the Family radio program that she would be inspired to embark on a God-driven journey to save babies from abortion.
The host was discussing a video, “The Silent Scream,” which depicts a real-time abortion procedure seen through ultrasound. The images show a preborn child’s mouth open, as if in a silent expression of horror, as a suction cannula inserted into the uterus pursues the tiny body.
Slifko told Live Action News, “I thought, this can’t be. I never knew much about abortion, but at that instant, I prayed for God to show me a way to serve him for giving me salvation. I had no idea what that would look like, but I trusted God.”
She was standing outside a church one day waiting for her daughter, who was practicing for a concert, when a woman asked to be directed to the pro-life meeting. Slifko didn’t know about the meeting, but told the woman that she was “kind of pro-life.”
“[The woman] smiled, gave me her card, and invited me to join a group of people who prayed regularly at Planned Parenthood, and I did,” Slifko said. “We all got arrested that day. I couldn’t believe I could get arrested in America for praying, and thought something needs to be done.”
Although the charges were dropped, Slifko joined a local Right to Life group and continued to pray outside Planned Parenthood. One afternoon, a young girl walked by. Slifko pleaded with her not to go inside. She told Slifko that she had nowhere else to go.
Slifko said, “I was heartbroken to see her walk inside. I was determined to do something and knew we needed to establish a pregnancy support center.”
She continued to be active with the pro-life group and was subsequently arrested when participating in a rescue. “I was in jail for three days for that offense,” Slifko said. “While there, I spoke with the woman I first met outside the church and together, we decided to launch a pregnancy support center.”
It was a time when ultrasound technology wasn’t as readily available, yet Slifko saw God work in miraculous ways. “Armed with just the knowledge we had, we were saving babies,” she said. “It was all God.”
Going ‘where the women are’
She eventually opened another pregnancy support center in the suburbs to reach women who couldn’t travel downtown.
“We didn’t see many abortion-minded women at this location, and I wondered if we should close the facility,” Slifko said. “I prayed about what to do and eventually, an idea popped into my head that we needed to go where these women are.”
While Slifko’s husband Steve was excited about her idea, Slifko didn’t know by what means she could reach women in different locations. She inquired with other pro-life organizations, but this concept had never been tested.
Slifko said, “I thought of using a recreation vehicle (RV), but they are expensive and not very well-equipped.” A member from her church was visiting the Slifkos when he mentioned an uncle who owned an RV dealership. Slifko contacted him. While he said he couldn’t assist her, he did later call her back informing her of a man selling an old RV at reasonable cost in southwest Ohio, several hours away.
But Slifko was doubtful. “My husband and I decided to go see the RV,” Slifko said. “It had been used as a classroom and was in good condition. After negotiations, we got it for a great price. Only God could orchestrate that.”
The Slifkos refurbished the RV, adding exam and waiting rooms. At Bible study one night, Steve sat next to a man who offered to produce a video for advertising. He suggested “wrapping” the RV with custom designed artwork, provided a large donation, and also donated his time.
Slifko said, “More volunteers stepped up from area churches. When we needed an ultrasound machine and a sonographer, a woman from the pregnancy support center referred someone from her church who was an OB/GYN certified technician looking to serve.”
The woman assisted Slifko in purchasing an ultrasound machine. A friend heard Slifko was searching for a physician who could read the scans and recommended her obstetrician to be part of the team.
With all the pieces in place, the Image Clear Ultrasound (ICU) medical mobile ministry was born.
“We wanted the name to be neutral so as not to be inflammatory, but it has a hidden meaning (I See You),” Slifko said. “Ultimately, I wanted to let women decide; we were strictly there to help them.”
Soon, large donations started coming in every month from one source. “I found out it was from a woman who owned a national business who once had an unplanned pregnancy,” Slifko said, “and wanted to support pregnancy support centers in cities where she had an office.”
Operated by a school bus driver, the ICU Mobile unit went on the road. Every Saturday, ICU Mobile parked prominently in front the local abortion clinic and even traveled to other places, reaching countless women.
ICU Mobile grows into a national pro-life ministry saving thousands of babies from abortion
“I started getting calls around the country from other pregnancy support centers asking me how they could get a mobile unit,” Slifko said. “I realized I needed to write a manual, to give them a roadmap.”
As the pro-life ministry started to grow nationally, Slifko established a 5013C, separate from the pregnancy support center with which she had been affiliated. Slifko orders the RVs manufactured to specifications and uses another company to modify the interiors, so the vehicles are completely turnkey for the buyers.
By providing free access to pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, Slifko’s mobile ministry has supported women in crisis and protected babies from abortion.
When Focus on the Family hosted the “Alive From New York” event in Times Square in 2019, the Silfkos were invited to bring the ICU Mobile unit. There, in front of a large gathering, the ultrasound image of Abby Johnson’s preborn baby was projected onto a large screen. “The crowd got completely quiet — even the protestors along the sidewalk,” said Slifko. “It was a great day filled with testimonies and entertainment.”
In 2024, ICU Mobile marked its 20th year, celebrating 16,000 lives saved and 1,600 people led to Christ. Currently, there are 41 ICU fleets in 23 states.
Yet Slifko is just getting started.
“We’re praying to expand exponentially in 2025 and are confident we will,” Slifko said. “God just keeps opening doors along the way. All glory goes to Him. This is really God’s story. Our work just honors Him.”
