THIS one's a match made in talk-show heaven.
"Maury" is teaming with The National Campaign to Prevent Teen And Unplanned Pregnancy in an effort to help raise awareness of this alarming problem -- even if it puts the show out of business.
And who knows better than Maury Povich -- who has carved a unique niche with its highly rated episodes on "Who's the Daddy?" paternity-tests shows.
"We approached them and felt that we could be a good resource for them in an effort to publicize what's happening to kids in this country," Povich told The Post.
"My feeling is that politicians just duck [the issue]. It doesn't matter what their stripe is -- they just duck it. It's too messy for them."
Povich will be very involved in the alliance. On Tuesday (May 5), he'll participate in a discussion on teen pregnancy and the media at the National Press Club in DC.
Then, on Wednesday -- the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy -- "Maury" will devote its show (10 a.m./Ch. 11) to "out-of-control teens."
The show also will feature in-show billboards and will use its Web site to promote the campaign.
"We are the second-youngest-skewing talk show in the country. I have all kinds of kids watching the show," Povich said. "We have a built-in audience for this, which is even more meaningful for me.
"We thought this was a real seamless effort that would help [The National Campaign] and help us use a legitimate way to get the message out about kids having babies," Povich said.
"They feel our show is a demonstration of how pervasive this issue is.
"This renews my belief that despite the edginess of our show and the theme of the show, there are underlying social issues I happen to believe we can help with."
And what's Povich's personal take on how to prevent teen pregnancy?
"I think abstinence is a great tool, and the second-greatest tool is protection," he said.
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