diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 1c709d62f..6c077b6c9 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1558,7 +1558,12 @@
         "r.bracketedPaste": {
           "type": "boolean",
           "default": false,
-          "description": "Use bracketed paste mode when sending code to console. Enable for Radian console."
+          "markdownDescription": "Use bracketed paste mode when sending code to terminal. Enable for [radian](https://github.com/randy3k/radian) console."
+        },
+        "r.removeLeadingComments": {
+          "type": "boolean",
+          "default": false,
+          "description": "Remove leading comments when sending code to terminal."
         },
         "r.sessionWatcher": {
           "type": "boolean",
diff --git a/src/selection.ts b/src/selection.ts
index 3e50c55df..b3bce7f3d 100644
--- a/src/selection.ts
+++ b/src/selection.ts
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@
 import { Position, Range, window } from 'vscode';
 
 import { LineCache } from './lineCache';
+import { config } from './util';
 
 export function getWordOrSelection(): string | undefined {
     const textEditor = window.activeTextEditor;
@@ -72,7 +73,13 @@ export function getSelection(): RSelection | undefined {
         selection.range = new Range(newStart, newEnd);
     }
 
-    selection.selectedText = currentDocument.getText(selection.range).trim();
+    let selectedText = currentDocument.getText(selection.range).trim();
+
+    if (config().get<boolean>('removeLeadingComments')) {
+        selectedText = removeLeadingComments(selectedText);
+    }
+
+    selection.selectedText = selectedText;
 
     return selection;
 }
@@ -278,3 +285,23 @@ export function extendSelection(line: number, getLine: (line: number) => string,
 
     return ({ startLine: poss[0].line, endLine: poss[1].line });
 }
+
+
+/**
+ * This function removes leading R comments from a block of code text
+ * I.e. All blank and commented out lines are removed up until we hit the first
+ * non-blank / non-comment line.
+ * @param text A block of R code as a string
+ */
+export function removeLeadingComments(text: string): string {
+    const textArray = text.split('\n');
+    let endSearchIndex = 0;
+    for (const lineContent of textArray) {
+        if (lineContent.search('(^ *$|^ *#)') !== -1) {
+            endSearchIndex += 1;
+        } else {
+            break;
+        }
+    }
+    return textArray.slice(endSearchIndex).join('\n');
+}
diff --git a/src/test/suite/removeLeadingComments.test.ts b/src/test/suite/removeLeadingComments.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..dea933ed7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/suite/removeLeadingComments.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+
+
+import * as assert from 'assert';
+import { removeLeadingComments } from '../../selection';
+
+// Defines a Mocha test suite to group tests of similar kind together
+suite('removeLeadingComments Tests', () => {
+
+
+    test('Check that nothing changes if no comments', () => {
+        const input = `\
+        function (x) {
+            y = x
+            y
+        }
+        `;
+        const expectedOutput = `\
+        function (x) {
+            y = x
+            y
+        }
+        `;
+        const result = removeLeadingComments(input);
+        assert.strictEqual(result, expectedOutput);
+    });
+    
+    test('Check that basic comments are removed', () => {
+        const input = `\
+        # a leading comment
+        function (x) {
+            y = x
+            y
+        }
+        `;
+        const expectedOutput = `\
+        function (x) {
+            y = x
+            y
+        }
+        `;
+        const result = removeLeadingComments(input);
+        assert.strictEqual(result, expectedOutput);
+    });
+        
+    test('Check that inner comments are not removed', () => {
+        const input = `\
+        
+        # a leading comment
+        # Another leading comment
+        
+        function (x) {
+            y = x
+        # inner comment
+            y
+        }
+        `;
+        const expectedOutput = `\
+        function (x) {
+            y = x
+        # inner comment
+            y
+        }
+        `;
+        const result = removeLeadingComments(input);
+        assert.strictEqual(result, expectedOutput);
+    });
+});