Dr H. Hale Harvey III, the physician who helped transform abortion care in the United States and later created a distinctive community at Puckaster in Niton on the Isle of Wight, has died aged 93.
He passed away on 14th February in Dorchester, following complications from a fall.
Puckaster: A place of vision and character
At Puckaster, Hale brought his values to life in full colour, creating a place that offered affordable housing, work opportunities, philosophical discussion and plenty of eccentricity.
His son Russell recalled,
“Puckaster was the place for him to fully be able to play out his dreams and values.”
Hale invited people — many of them local youths — to join him in ambitious projects like building a cliff-top gazebo or carving steps down to the beach. His belief that “anyone could do anything if they applied themselves” defined the spirit of the place.
Life at Puckaster was never conventional. Flats were quirky and full of character, but the offer included a games room, swimming pool, sauna and invitations to weekly philosophy discussions — complete with reading material.
Russell remembered the phrase his father used to sum up his relaxed approach to construction,
“That looks straight enough.”
A pioneering force in abortion care
Before moving to the Isle of Wight, Hale made a lasting mark in the United States.
In 1970, he opened a major abortion clinic in New York City — just as the state legalised the procedure — providing safe, affordable care at a time when access was limited and risky. The clinic served hundreds each week and became a national model after Roe v. Wade legalised abortion in 1973.
He had earlier surrendered his licence in Louisiana for performing abortions in defiance of state law, seeing it not as a disgrace, but as a consequence of his moral convictions.
Hale’s care went beyond the clinical. He ensured women were supported, comfortable and treated with dignity. He was driven, as his daughter Kate said, by strong values and “unwavering self-confidence”.
The scholar and experimenter
Hale’s approach to life was rooted in learning and experimentation. Kate described him as someone who believed that “any problem could be solved with a considered, informed approach”.
He spent hours at the Royal Society of Medicine copying articles, shared information freely, and tested theories on himself — from fasting to sleeplessness to cardiovascular health.
At home, this translated into bold and often eccentric projects. He built 50-foot solar panels in the 1970s, attempted subterranean heat storage using plastic bottles, and created giant stick figures and six-foot expressive faces in the garden — part of his vision of Ancient Greece via white paint and flowerpots.
A home full of stories and joy
Puckaster was filled with activity. Residents joined in philosophy evenings, made use of the games room, and participated in the community, whether through work or leisure.
Russell remembered poker nights, drum circles, parties and evenings around the fire. He said,
“The community aspect of life was never his focal point, but he did love to share his own beliefs, values and play games.”
The buildings themselves bore the marks of Hale’s imagination — often built outside formal rules of planning or safety, with a kind of determined optimism that won people over. Even the planning enforcement officer “ultimately surrendered to dad’s will”.
Kate added that his ideas “could be brilliant, catastrophic or hysterical but were never dull.”
Loss and lasting impact
Nature eventually intervened. Landslides led to the abandonment of some of the buildings. In his 80s, Hale remained undeterred, still dreaming up new developments.
In the end, it was a catastrophic fire that brought the Puckaster chapter to a close. No lives were lost, but everything material was destroyed — including letters from women who had thanked him for helping them access abortions at a critical time in their lives.
Russell said the fire was devastating, but that the sense of community endured.
“To see how everyone pulled together and supported each other was heart warming.
“His castle had crumbled… but in that way, I believe he was free.”
A life lived entirely his way
Hale moved to the Isle of Wight in search of the ‘good life’. With his wife Helen, he raised two children and built a world filled with experimentation, discussion and joy.
Kate recalled his love of laughter — reading joke books every night and keeping spirits high, even during illness. He loved dancing, games and elaborate family fun, once building a 30-foot climbing frame for his two-year-old daughter. She said,
“Dad’s approach to life made him incredibly special.
“I catch myself, more often than I might admit, doing things that show ‘a little bit of Hale Harvey’.”
Dr H. Hale Harvey III is survived by his two children and three grandchildren. Our thoughts are with all who knew Hale.
Our thanks to Russ and Kate for sharing their memories of their Dad with OnTheWight. If you subscribe to the Washington Post you can read H. Hale Harvey III’s obituary online.
